{"id":64988,"date":"2024-07-18T15:21:19","date_gmt":"2024-07-18T13:21:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/libmod.de\/internationale-konferenz-eu-erweiterung-eine-geopolitische-notwendigkeit-und-die-naechsten-schritte-fuer-die-eu-beitrittskandidatenstaaten\/"},"modified":"2024-10-21T22:25:44","modified_gmt":"2024-10-21T20:25:44","slug":"internationale-konferenz-eu-erweiterung-eine-geopolitische-notwendigkeit-und-die-naechsten-schritte-fuer-die-eu-beitrittskandidatenstaaten","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/libmod.de\/en\/internationale-konferenz-eu-erweiterung-eine-geopolitische-notwendigkeit-und-die-naechsten-schritte-fuer-die-eu-beitrittskandidatenstaaten\/","title":{"rendered":"Inter\u00adna\u00adtional conference: \u201cEU enlargement \u2014 a geopo\u00adlitical necessity and the next steps for the EU candidate states\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=\u201c\u201d]<\/p>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row css=\u201d.vc_custom_1508251598805{margin-top: 30px !important;}\u201d][vc_column width=\u201c2\/3\u201d css=\u201d.vc_custom_1508252250311{padding-right: 20px !important;}\u201d][vc_column_text css=\u201c\u201d]<\/p>\n

On 9 and 10 July, the Center for Liberal Modernity organized the inter\u00adna\u00adtional conference \u201cEU Enlargement \u2014 a geopo\u00adlitical necessity and the next steps for the EU candidate states\u201d with its partner organi\u00adza\u00adtions in Tbilisi, Georgia.<\/h3>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=\u201c\u201d]The conference provided a platform for cooper\u00adation between civil society organi\u00adza\u00adtions from the Eastern Partnership and the Western Balkans on EU accession issues. On the common path to EU membership, experi\u00adences and success stories were exchanged and joint initia\u00adtives developed.[\/vc_column_text][vc_gallery interval=\u201c3\u201d images=\u201c64982,65026,65024,65022,65020,65018,65016,65014,65012,65010,65008,65006,65004,65002,65000,64998,64984\u201d img_size=\u201cfull\u201d css=\u201c\u201d][vc_column_text css=\u201c\u201d]Given Germany\u2019s important role in supporting the EU accession process of the Western Balkan countries, including through the Berlin Process, and its signif\u00adicant contri\u00adbution to the European integration of the three Eastern European EU candi\u00addates (Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia), it was great to have four leading German political founda\u00adtions on board.<\/p>\n

The conference brought together speakers and experts from various fields, including government officials, members of the Bundestag, academics and civil society representatives.
\nPavel Herczynski, the EU Ambas\u00adsador to Georgia spoke on the topic of EU enlargement \u2014 \u201cEU member states have recog\u00adnized that the EU will not be complete without the next major enlargement, which would include several Western Balkan countries. This includes first and foremost Ukraine, Moldova and hopefully Georgia.\u201c<\/p>\n

The German Ambas\u00adsador to Georgia, Peter Fischer, empha\u00adsized the role of EU enlargement and described it as a \u201cblessing to those who joined\u201d. Georgia\u2019s \u201cwindow of oppor\u00adtunity\u201d is not yet closed and he hopes that EU integration can continue \u2014 despite the govern\u00adment\u2019s current contro\u00adversial stance (\u201cforeign agent law\u201d). The parlia\u00admentary elections in October will play a decisive role in this.[\/vc_column_text][vc_gallery interval=\u201c3\u201d images=\u201c65065,65063,65059,65061,65057,65053,65055,65051,65049,65047,65045,65043,65067,65041,65039,65029,65037,65035,65033,65031\u201d img_size=\u201cfull\u201d css=\u201c\u201d][vc_column_text css=\u201c\u201d]Marieluise Beck concluded the panel discussion on the second day of the conference with a poignant reflection on the current global challenges: \u201cIt really is about freedom. What is happening now is something we didn\u2019t really expect after the two wars of the 20th century. We were so sure that the new century would be something that we would work on together. it\u2019s no longer just about Russia, but about Russia, Iran, North Korea and China, which is keeping a low profile. The bad news is that we don\u2019t have this comfortable century. I am really facing a serious challenge. I never expected to look at my grand\u00adchildren and think, \u201cI really don\u2019t know what the future is going to look like.\u201d It\u2019s our respon\u00adsi\u00adbility to work on that. So it\u2019s our respon\u00adsi\u00adbility to remember that it\u2019s about preserving freedom.\u201c<\/p>\n

We would like to thank the Civil Society Foundation and the four political founda\u00adtions for their wonderful cooper\u00adation, as well as the Federal Foreign Office and the Mercator Foundation for their support.[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=\u201c\u201d][\/vc_column_text][vc_separator][vc_column_text]Did you like this article? If yes, you can support the independent editorial work and journalism of LibMod via a simple donation tool.[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]