News

Adnan Cerimagic, ESI’s senior analyst, participated in the seventh meeting of the Friends of the Western Balkans (FoWB) and the Willy Brandt Programme seminar, which focused on the student-led anti-corruption protests in Serbia and their implications for regional politics and EU enlargement.

On 16 May 2025 the jury of the BIRN Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence, of which ESI's Kristof Bender is a member, awarded the prizes for the 2023 cohort of the fellowship.

Adnan Cerimagic took part in the opening session of the “Shared Horizons” programme, organised by the French Institute in cooperation with Brčko-based organisation Idea X.

Adnan Cerimagic participated in an online panel discussion hosted by the Südosteuropa Gesellschaft on the theme “America’s Withdrawal from the Western Balkans? The Change in US Foreign Policy and its Consequences”.

At a high-level migration symposium in Ankara, ESI’s Gerald Knaus called for a renewed EU-Turkey migration statement, highlighting the life-saving impact of the 2016 agreement.

Kristof Bender presented ESI’s proposals to revive the EU accession process at a high-level conference on EU enlargement held at the Italian foreign ministry.

Adnan Cerimagic took part in a public panel debate titled “Europe, the US, and the Western Balkans: Cooperation or Confrontation?”

Adnan Cerimagic took part in the European Council on Foreign Relations Neighbourhood Strategy Group meeting. The event, titled “Shifting Geopolitics: The EU’s Response to Old and New Challenges in the Western Balkans and Eastern Neighbourhood.”

Adnan Cerimagic took part in the public presentation of a new publication titled “Our Path to the European Union: From candidate status to membership negotiations, October 2022 – October 2024.” 

Gerald Knaus was invited to the Westphalian Peace Conference 2025 and participated in the panel debate on “Migration in Europe.”

Gerald Knaus gave a second presentation on migration and the future of democracy at an event with over 100 participants organised by Dialog Dollenberg, a forum that brings together leaders from business, politics, and civil society to discuss key societal challenges.

Adnan Cerimagic engaged in a discussion with a group of Serbian journalists, who visited Berlin as part of the Pulse of Europe – Media Trips to EU project.

Gerald Knaus was invited to give a presentation on “The current challenges of global migration and its impact on Germany” for members of the European Affairs Committee at the State Parliament of Baden-Württemberg.

Kristof Bender joined a closed-door workshop on North Macedonia’s EU path and met Slovenian officials to discuss ESI’s Single Market proposal as an interim goal for accession countries.

Gerald Knaus was invited to speak at a debate on “Crises, wars and conflicts: Europe’s Way Out of Powerlessness” organised by the international literature festival lit. Cologne.

Adnan Cerimagiccontributed to a training seminar on “EU approximation and integration”organised by the German foreign office as part of its international diplomatic training programme.

ESI’s Kristof Bender took part in the 51st board meeting of the Kosovo Civil Society Foundation in Pristina on 27–28 March 2024, concluding his second term on the board.

Adnan Cerimagic took part in a panel discussion at the Leipzig Book Fair titled “Bosnia and Herzegovina – 30 years of peace, but what next?”

Adnan Cerimagic participated in the “Balkan Breakfast” discussion on the protests in Serbia and the latest crisis in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Analyst Adnan Cerimagic took part in the 10th Danube Salon.