Advocacy visit and presentation of the defense report in Berlin

In the framework of ELIAMEP’s initiative think nea – New Narratives of EU Integration which is supported by OSF – Western Balkans, Dr. Ioannis Armakolas (Head, South-East Europe Programme –& Director, think nea – New Narratives of EU Integration), Dr. Ana Krstinovska (Research Fellow, South-East Europe Programme – ELIAMEP & Senior Researcher, think nea – New Narratives of EU Integration) and Nikos Bakirtzis (Junior Research Fellow, South-East Europe Programme & Project Manager, think nea – New Narratives of EU Integration) visited Berlin to present the latest think nea report “Europe’s Overlooked Allies: Why the Western Balkans Matter for EU Defence Readiness” and attend a series of bilateral meetings. The visit was organized by the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Dialogue Southeast Europe.

During their stay in Berlin, Dr. Armakolas and Dr. Krstinovska presented the report on two occasions. The first was an expert workshop titled “EU Defense, the Western Balkans and the Enlargement Process – Contributions to European Security,” held on 9 October 2025 at the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung. The discussion explored how the Western Balkans can contribute to European security through defense cooperation, infrastructure use, reform progress, and closer policy alignment with the EU.

Later the same day, they presented the report at the German Bundestag, Paul-Löbe-Haus, where the discussion again focused on the region’s concrete and potential contributions to the European security architecture. Moderated by MP Johannes Schraps, the briefing built on the main outcomes of the earlier workshop, connecting expert insights with the broader policy debate on EU defense and enlargement.

In addition to the two events, the team attended a series of high-profile bilateral meetings, including with the Federal Foreign Office, members of the German Bundestag, academics, and representatives of the think tank community in Germany. The aim of these meetings was to present the findings of the report, exchange views on the evolving role of the Western Balkans in European security and defense, and better understand the German policy and expert context regarding EU enlargement and defense cooperation.