EU integration should bring tangible progress even before membership. What will it take to make that happen?

For the Western Balkans, closer access to the Single Market raises practical questions: which barriers should be removed first, how can regional cooperation accelerate progress, and how can financing better support reforms?

On 3 November 2026 in Brussels, Strategers Institute and the CEFTA Secretariat will bring these questions into focus, connecting policy ambitions with practical steps towards economic convergence.

Speakers:

Valentina Superti, Director for the Western Balkans, DG ENEST, European Commission

Maida Gorčević, Minister of European Affairs of Montenegro

Pranvera Kastrati, Director of the CEFTA Secretariat

Fatmir Besimi, Professor, Strategers Institute, Former DPM for European Affairs and Minister of Finance of North Macedonia

Moderator:

Nicholas Whyte, Professor, Senior Director, APCO Global Solutions

This high-level policy dialogue is featured as a satellite event of the EU Enlargement Forum 2026 – Wider Europe-Stronger Europe. It builds on our September discussion in Skopje, “From Accession to Convergence: Financing the European Future of the Western Balkans” which was also featured as a satellite event of the Forum.

We also encourage you to tune in to the EU Enlargement Forum livestream on 16 November and follow the wider discussion on the future of EU enlargement. More information is available on the Forum website.

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