The

EU Meets
Balkans

Forum
2023
May 16th,
Sofia Tech Park

About

While Europe and its allies from across the Atlantic have been facing unprecedented new security challenges, the EU integration of the Western Balkans has become an imminent imperative in view of securing Europe's safe and prosperous future.

Building stable connectivity among Western Balkan countries in critical areas such as infrastructure, technology, digitalisation, and overall security is the correct approach in handling the inevitable emergencies, while developing resilience to emerging risks and threats. Therefore, the European Liberal Forum supported by the ALDE Party and the Atlantic Club of Bulgaria will host “The EU Meets the Balkans” forum in Sofia, which will bring together a number of high-level speakers, to debate on regional cooperation and EU integration in a series of four panels.

Speakers

Roberta Metsola
President of the European Parliament
Olivér Várhelyi
EU Commissioner for Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement
Olha Stefanishyna
Deputy Prime Ministerfor European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine
Teodora Genchovska
Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria
Federica Mogherini
Rector Collage of Europe, HR/VP of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (2014-2019)
Baiba Braže
Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy, NATO
Bujar Osmani
Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic ofNorth Macedonia
Donika Gervalla
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Republic of Kosovo
Faruk Kaymakcı
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Director for EU Affairs, Republic of Türkiye
Megi Fino
Deputy Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Albania
Josip Brkić
Deputy Foreign Minister of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Snežana Radović
Deputy Foreign Minister of Montenegro
Miroslav Lajcak
EU Special Representative for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue and other Western Balkan regional issue
Sir Stuart Peach
UK Special Envoy to the Western Balkans
Ali Aslan
-
Matthew Boyse
Deputy Assistant Secretary
Shada Islam
Editor of the EUobserver magazine publication
Alessandro Minuto-Rizzo
Deputy Secretary General of NATO from 2001 to 2007
Ilhan Kyuchyuk
MEP, Co-President of ALDE Party
Dr. Solomon Passy
President of the Atlantic Club of Bulgaria
Boyko Vasilev
Journalist, BNT
Majlinda Bregu
Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council
Nafisa Latic
Journalist, TRT World
Elena Poptodorova
Vice President of the Atlantic Club of Bulgaria (ACB) and Founding Memberof the ACB Board
Daniela Gîtman
Secretary of State for European Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania
Alper Coşkun
Senior Fellow of the European Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Sabina Ćudić
Member of Parliament of Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Kiril Valchev
Director-General, Bulgarian News Agency
Vice admiral Mitko Petev
Bulgarian Military Representative to NATO and EU MC
Peter Horrocks
Former Director of BBC World Service Group
Tanya Mihaylova
Director of the Bulgarian Diplomatic Institute
Dimitar Ganev
co-founder ofTrend Research Center
Batu Kutelia
Vice President of the Atlantic Council of the Republic of Georgia
Roberta Metsola
President of the European Parliament
Olivér Várhelyi
EU Commissioner for Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement
Olha Stefanishyna
Deputy Prime Ministerfor European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine
Teodora Genchovska
Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria
Federica Mogherini
Rector Collage of Europe, HR/VP of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (2014-2019)
Baiba Braže
Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy, NATO
Bujar Osmani
Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic ofNorth Macedonia
Donika Gervalla
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Republic of Kosovo
Faruk Kaymakcı
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Director for EU Affairs, Republic of Türkiye
Megi Fino
Deputy Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Albania
Josip Brkić
Deputy Foreign Minister of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Snežana Radović
Deputy Foreign Minister of Montenegro
Miroslav Lajcak
EU Special Representative for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue and other Western Balkan regional issue
Sir Stuart Peach
UK Special Envoy to the Western Balkans
Ali Aslan
-
Matthew Boyse
Deputy Assistant Secretary
Shada Islam
Editor of the EUobserver magazine publication
Alessandro Minuto-Rizzo
Deputy Secretary General of NATO from 2001 to 2007
Ilhan Kyuchyuk
MEP, Co-President of ALDE Party
Dr. Solomon Passy
President of the Atlantic Club of Bulgaria
Boyko Vasilev
Journalist, BNT
Majlinda Bregu
Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council
Nafisa Latic
Journalist, TRT World
Elena Poptodorova
Vice President of the Atlantic Club of Bulgaria (ACB) and Founding Memberof the ACB Board
Daniela Gîtman
Secretary of State for European Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania
Alper Coşkun
Senior Fellow of the European Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Sabina Ćudić
Member of Parliament of Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Kiril Valchev
Director-General, Bulgarian News Agency
Vice admiral Mitko Petev
Bulgarian Military Representative to NATO and EU MC
Peter Horrocks
Former Director of BBC World Service Group
Tanya Mihaylova
Director of the Bulgarian Diplomatic Institute
Dimitar Ganev
co-founder ofTrend Research Center
Batu Kutelia
Vice President of the Atlantic Council of the Republic of Georgia

Agenda

16 May 2023
Sofia Tech Park, John Atanasoff Hall
Opening
10:00 - 10:30
Master of Ceremony:
Ali Aslan, International TV Presenter, Moderator, Talk Show Host & Journalist and Maria Tsantsarova, Journalist, BTV Media Group (TBC)
| Ilhan Kyuchyuk MEP, Co-President of ALDE Party
| Dr. Solomon Passy, President of the Atlantic Club of Bulgaria
| Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria (TBC)
| Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament
| Dan Mircea Geoană, Deputy Secretary General, NATO (TBC)
Opening
10:00 - 10:30
Master of Ceremony:
Ali Aslan, International TV Presenter, Moderator, Talk Show Host & Journalist and Maria Tsantsarova, Journalist, BTV Media Group (TBC)
| Ilhan Kyuchyuk MEP, Co-President of ALDE Party
| Dr. Solomon Passy, President of the Atlantic Club of Bulgaria
| Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria (TBC)
| Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament
| Dan Mircea Geoană, Deputy Secretary General, NATO (TBC)
Opening
10:00 - 10:30
Master of Ceremony:
Ali Aslan, International TV Presenter, Moderator, Talk Show Host & Journalist and Maria Tsantsarova, Journalist, BTV Media Group (TBC)
| Ilhan Kyuchyuk MEP, Co-President of ALDE Party
| Dr. Solomon Passy, President of the Atlantic Club of Bulgaria
| Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria (TBC)
| Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament
| Dan Mircea Geoană, Deputy Secretary General, NATO (TBC)
Opening
10:00 - 10:30
Master of Ceremony:
Ali Aslan, International TV Presenter, Moderator, Talk Show Host & Journalist and Maria Tsantsarova, Journalist, BTV Media Group (TBC)
| Ilhan Kyuchyuk MEP, Co-President of ALDE Party
| Dr. Solomon Passy, President of the Atlantic Club of Bulgaria
| Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria (TBC)
| Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament
| Dan Mircea Geoană, Deputy Secretary General, NATO (TBC)
Opening
10:00 - 10:30
Master of Ceremony:
Ali Aslan, International TV Presenter, Moderator, Talk Show Host & Journalist and Maria Tsantsarova, Journalist, BTV Media Group (TBC)
| Ilhan Kyuchyuk MEP, Co-President of ALDE Party
| Dr. Solomon Passy, President of the Atlantic Club of Bulgaria
| Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria (TBC)
| Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament
| Dan Mircea Geoană, Deputy Secretary General, NATO (TBC)