Paris, The Hague, Rome – ESI presentations on EU enlargement
ESI's Gerald Knaus travelled to several European capitals to talk about the the future of the EU enlargement process and ESI's proposals for the progress reports, and other ESI initiatives planned for 2015.
On 2 December he spoke in Paris at the Centre d'études et de recherches internationales (CERI) at the conference "European Integration of the Balkans-What Now?". Other speakers included Hedvig Morvai, Executive Director, European Fund for the Balkans, Jacques Rupnik, Senior Research Fellow, Centre for International Studies and Research (CERI), Florian Bieber, Director, Centre for Southeast European Studies, Marko Kmezić, Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Southeast European Studies, Pierre Mirel, Honorary Director-General of the European Commisson, and Alain Salles, Le Monde. The Macedonian deputy prime minister for EU integration, Fatmir Besimi, also joined the debate.
On 3 December Gerald spoke in The Hague at a conference organised by the The Hague Institute for Global Justice: Making a Difference: European Union and the Rule of Law in the Western Balkans. Other speakers included Robert de Groot, Director General for European Cooperation at the Dutch MFA, Lawrence Meredith, Head of Strategy and Policy at the EC DG Enlargement, and Serge Brammertz, Chief Prosecutor, ICTY.
On 4 December Gerald delivered a lecture at the NATO Defense College in Rome on the Western Balkans to senior military officers and their civilian equivalents who represented most NATO countries.