News

Gerald Knaus spoke at a public event in Munich on Azerbaijan's "caviar diplomacy" and its use of bribery to influence European institutions, warning about the threats corruption poses to the integrity of Western democracies.

ESI senior analyst Adnan Cerimagic participated in a workshop on the Western Balkans hosted by the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in London.

Gerald Knaus was invited to give a keynote speech on “Asylum, borders, and the future of democracy” at the Friedrich Naumann Foundation.

Gerald Knaus was invited to give a presentation on “Is the right to asylum dying?” organised by the Bundesverfassungsgericht (Association of Judges of the German Federal Constitutional Court).

Gerald Knaus visited Stockholm on 9 and 10 December for discussions on migration policy, the EU enlargement process in the Western Balkans, Ukraine, and Moldova, as well as the ongoing crisis in Georgia.

Adnan Cerimagic participated in the Western Balkans Working Group meeting, hosted by the Aspen Institute Germany in collaboration with the German Federal Foreign Office.

Gerald Knaus spoke at a public event on “Migration and Flight – Between Border Controls, Deportations, Skills Shortages, and Openness to the World” organised by the Social Democratic MP Michael Müller and former governing mayor of Berlin.

Kristof Bender participated in the Europe’s Futures alumni conference, focusing on the incoming Trump presidency, the war in Ukraine, EU enlargement, and the creation of a “Europe’s Futures Institute” in 2025.

Adnan Cerimagic joined a panel discussion titled “EU enlargement as a geopolitical imperative for transatlantic security,” hosted by the European Policy Centre in collaboration with the US Mission to the EU in Brussels, Belgium.

Kristof Bender led two sessions on strategic communication of EU accession process for civil servants from Moldova focusing on audience engagement, strategic goals, and addressing communication challenges.

Adnan delivered the keynote address on “Mapping the EU Policy Landscape in the Western Balkans – What is New, What is Specific, Where are Overlaps?” at the Protestant Academy Loccum. 

Gerald Knaus spoke at a panel discussion titled “Restarting Germany,” with a focus on migration policy, at the German national council meeting of the Junge Union Deutschlands, which also included the participation of  Joachim Herrmann, member of the Bavarian Landtag and Bavarian minister of the interior and Markus Söder, minister-president of Bavaria. 

Adnan Cerimagic participated in the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) Western Balkans Strategy Group meeting and spoke on the panel “Translating the Draghi Report for the Western Balkans.”

Gerald Knaus was invited to present ESI research on Caviar Diplomacy and to discuss corruption by Azerbaijan in the Council of Europe. Organized by the Volkshochschule Waltrop, Gerald reviewed the corruption scandal with Frank Schwabe, member of the German Bundestag and PACE for the SPD. 

Kristof Bender discussed EU policies towards the Western Balkans, Moldova, and Ukraine at a seminar in Rome, focusing on the impact of the incoming Trump administration and EU's responses.

Adnan Cerimagic participated in the third edition of the Belgrade Security Conference, held under the theme “In Defence of Humanity.”

Adnan Cerimagic participated in the annual Tiergarten Conference on foreign and security policy, titled “Everything Secured? Global Challenges. 

Gerald Knaus was invited to give a keynote speech at the third Heidelberg Migration Symposium, organised by the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of  Justice and for Migration.

Adnan Cerimagic participated in a panel discussion titled “Intermediate Steps on the Road to EU Membership: Perspectives of the Western Balkan Countries on Opportunities and Hurdles for Gradual EU Integration.”

Adnan Cerimagic participated in the “Balkan Breakfast” discussion on the implications of the US elections for the Western Balkans.