14. 11. 2020 | Bled Strategic Forum, PR
COVID-19 remains top priority for governments worldwide. What does this mean for climate change?
With one year to go before major UN climate change conference COP26 in Glasgow, the British Embassy, Centre for European Perspective and Bled Strategic Forum jointly hosted an online event with leading British and Slovenian experts.
The discussion (titled “COP vs COVID”) considered how the response to COVID-19 might affect climate negotiations, and ambitions, ahead of next year’s conference in the UK.
In a lively discussion, it was clear that action on climate change remains urgent. As climate scientist Professor Sir Brian Hoskins (Imperial College London) emphasized: “Every bit of carbon dioxide that we add today will influence the climate for the next 1000 years.”
COP26 will be the most important international meeting on climate change since Paris in 2015, and our future climate will be largely determined by the global response in the next decade. Professor Dr Lučka Kajfež Bogataj (University of Ljubljana) projected that “our current policies give us a 3% probability of success. What our future will look like depends on the next ten years. Plans for 2050 are useless if we don’t deliver on goals for 2030.”
So the COP26 negotiations under the UK Presidency (in partnership with Italy) needs to be ambitious and inclusive, said Lead COP26 Negotiator for the UK, Archie Young. “Ambition means accelerating real world climate action” – not just setting bolder targets for the distant future.
COVID-19 has undeniably made the response to climate change much more complicated. “We all think that due to COVID-19 we already changed our lifestyles and lowered emissions,” said Prof Kajfež Bogataj. In Slovenia emissions reduced by up to 18% during the first lockdown. “Unfortunately, as soon as the restrictions were loosened in June, emissions went back up.”
However, as Ms Tina Kobilšek from MOP points out: “COVID-19 is not only a challenge, but also an opportunity for change.” While governments are rightly focussed on tackling the virus, climate remains crucial – “We are not only facing a pandemic but also the climate crisis, and that won’t go away.” During Slovenia’s EU Presidency next year, “Slovenia is fully committed to steer the EU towards an ambitious climate target and outcome of COP26.”
Mr Young was clear that the UK sees Slovenia as an important partner. He added: “When COVID meant I had to call countries to postpone COP26, the vast majority agreed that postponing the conference could not mean postponing climate action.” Slovenia’s EU presidency would be vital to sustain momentum in the final months of negotiations.
There was broad agreement that a ‘green recovery’ from COVID-19 was vital. “Stimulus packages can genuinely transform the economy,” said Mr Young, “I understand the temptation to take short term, easy way out option. But now is time to take a step back and think what our economies need to look like in the future, With the right decisions, we can get on the path of achieving the viral Paris climate change goals.”
You can watch the event here.
This was the launch event of the FUTURE PERFECT event series, which will convene experts to ask big questions about our post-COVID future, organized by the British Embassy in Ljubljana in co-operation with CEP, BSF and other partners. The events will offer opportunities for the audience to ask questions directly of leading experts in their fields.
5. 3. 2020 | Bled Strategic Forum, PR, Youth
On 4 March 2020, Jable castle hosted a group of some 40 experts, practitioners, state officials, diplomats, students and civil society representatives to discuss demographic challenges of the Western Balkan (WB) countries in the context of brain drain and possibility of turning it into brain circulation. Organized by Centre for European Perspective (CEP) in cooperation with Central European Initiative (CEI), the event took place within the framework of Young Bled Strategic Forum (Young BSF).
The closed morning session aimed to outline the demographic challenges of WB region and shed a light on the brain drain, as well as identify good practices and policies. The main guiding questions were: Are there ways to stop the brain drain? Is it productive to think of ways to stop it? How can we turn brain drain into brain circulation? What good practices can EU countries offer in this regards? Are there any state-sponsored activities or programs tackling the issue that could be presented as good practices? Are governments doing something to re-attract skilled workers and highly educated individuals into their home countries? Are countries with a large diaspora in any way profiting from this?
The second part, open to general public, hosted various experts in the field who discussed the conclusions from the first session, as well as offered insights into potential solutions to the brain drain issue. The event was opened by Nina Kodelja, Deputy Secretary General of CEI, who stressed that demographic issues affect the societal tissue profoundly. Katja Geršak, Executive Director of CEP, continued with the presentation of good practices that CEP and Slovenia are implementing through development projects. In addition, Andor Dávid, Executive Director of International Visegrad Fund (IVF) shared some thoughts on entrepreneurship, where he stressed that entrepreneurial and innovation spirit have to be awoken at an early age. He added that IVF activities in the WB region focus on future jobs, which do not exist yet but could offer a new impetus to local communities in the future.
The discussants, Dafina Peci, Secretary General at National Youth Congress of Albania, Jernej Štromajer, State Secretary at the Ministry of Education of Slovenia, and Anja Fortuna, President of National Youth Council of Slovenia, agreed there are numerous reasons to why people decide to move, while we should seek deeper reasons to why this occurs. Healthcare, housing, family policies, educational system, democratic performance, environment policies etc. all play an important role when trying to turn brain drain into brain circulation. They also agreed that governments should, through a mix of different policies, offer incentives for youth to stay in their home countries.
Concluding remarks were offered by Peter Grk, Secretary General of Bled Strategic Forum and National Coordinator for the Western Balkans from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Slovenia, who stressed that what the WB region is lacking are the “lights” (hope), while currently there are no lights to be turned off, paraphrasing the title of the round table. “Both the EU and WB countries need to stop pretending and start creating favourable conditions for youth in the region”, stressed Grk.
Meliha Muherina, Programme Director of the Young BSF, moderated the event.
Concrete policy recommendations on the topic discussed will follow in the upcoming weeks.
7. 8. 2019 | Bled Strategic Forum, PR, V4, Youth
Centre for European Perspective has together with Bosnia and Herzegovina Association for United Nations and supported by International Visegrad Fund, organized a 2-day event that opened the floor to youth and civil society of the Western Balkans, V4 and EU, giving them a chance to discuss their concerns, challenges, ideas and prospects with policy makers and experts.
Event was held on 5th and 6th August in Hotel Europe, Sarajevo and was attended by around 50 participants coming from different spheres of the society.
Opening words to the event were delivered by Mr Amer Kapetanović, Head of Political Department at Regional Cooperation Council. Mr Kapetanović stressed the importance of youth and regional cooperation, while also gave some insight into the latest Balkan Barometer, that shows a gloomy situation in the Balkans.
First panel titled “Youth and Euro-Atlantic Integrations of Western Balkans and the role of V4” featured
- Katja Geršak, Director, Centre for European Perspective (CEP)
- Jan Zlatan Kulenović, CEO, Social Innovation Incubator MUNJA
- Dr Filip Radunović, Sector Fund Manager, Open Regional Fund Southeastern Europe – EU Integration, GIZ Sarajevo
- Anna Orosz, Research fellow, Institute for Foreign Affairs and Trade (IFAT)
- Vladimír Bartovic, Director, EUROPEUM
and was moderated by Jasmina Banjalučkić, Secretary General, Youth Council of Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Panel explored the experience of EU, V4 and WB in better involvement of youth, as well as their role in Euro-Atlantic integrations of WB.
Second panel titled “Let’s talk about Cross-Regional Cooperation: WB6, V4 and EU” featured
- H.E Jakub Skalník, Ambassador of the Czech Republic
- Ms Ágnes Angyal Chargé d’Affaires, Embassy of Hungary
- H.E Jarosław Lindenberg, Ambassador of the Republic of Poland
- Mr Attila Szép, Counsellor, Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of the Slovak Republic
- Borut Valenčič, Charge d’affaires, Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia
and was moderated by Mak Selimović, President, Bosnia and Herzegovina Association for United Nations, discussed why is cross-regional cooperation important in the SEE region and whether or not the-already-existing cross-regional cooperation between V4 and WB6 can be further developed in resolving complex matters of common interest. Round-table also served as an occasion to asses cross-regional opportunities, threats and obstacles in cooperation. Event was concluded by a reception where all the participants and speakers continued the discussion in an informal atmosphere.
Second day was dedicated to Visegrad Café where each table covered one topic and each table had project representatives who moderated and facilitated the discussion. Public contributed to the discussion on each of the topics and supported it with a pre-prepared set of data, research conclusions and materials. Participants have switched the tables after 30 minutes to converse with a new mix of participants. Once all rounds of conversation were complete, project partner representatives presented the main conclusions of each discussion. Topics discussed were Democratization, Human Rights, Sustainable Development and Reconciliation.
20. 5. 2019 | Bled Strategic Forum, PR, Youth
The Young Bled Strategic Forum (Young BSF) is an annual conference bringing together young leaders to engage in lively discussion and develop out-of-the-box solutions to some of the most pressing world issues. The Young BSF model has been growing and changing and has become a unique meeting place for a diverse array of young leaders, entrepreneurs, influencers, thinkers and social activists and thus, offering them a platform to share their visions, exchange ideas and connect with one-another. The Young BSF 2019 will host young leaders under the title “Youth as a (future) (re)source”.
Young BSF 2019 will reflect the topics of the BSF and focus on sources and resources of (in)stability and look up at young people as a (re)source for the future. The young people that will attend this year’s edition of Young BSF will prove youth is a valuable resource in several ways. Young people are not solely valued as potential contributors to society, in their status as adults-to-be, but also in their present status as youth, whereby they contribute to society for the very reason that they are young, full of innovative ideas and able of thinking out of the box.
Special emphasis at the Young Bled Strategic Forum will be given to the cross-regional cooperation. A new generation of leaders will demonstrate that such cooperation is not only necessary, but rather inevitable for positive next steps in democratization, advancement of human rights, sustainable development, women empowerment, counter-terrorism and climate change. To do this, young leaders have to learn from their peers from different regions, share their knowledge, ideas and know-how. Sustainable regional cooperation programs are the key towards a comprehensive, inclusive, and innovative approach that engages youth and prepares agents for change.
Strong, committed and inclusive democratic youth leadership will be of crucial importance for the process of democratization, conscientious European integration and future EU expansion in general. In our efforts to build a structured regional cooperation we must therefore bring young leaders on board in order to build tighter ties among civil societies, offer room for youth-to-youth exchanges, and enable a continuous flow of information and knowledge among the EU member states and non-EU states.
Youth, being the essential cornerstone of dynamic civil societies, should be given an opportunity to:
- Contribute to the regional integration,
- Be the herald of European values and democratic leadership with dedication and perseverance,
- Identify topics of common interest and tackle issues of shared concern for communities in the region.
Young leaders will also be selected to participate as speakers at the main event. This practice has proven its worth in past editions and to the benefit of BSF, as it brought innovative solutions and shed a light on youth perspectives. Youth will through active participation at BSF have an opportunity to meet the leaders from the governmental, business and nongovernmental sectors and join them in discussions addressing salient issues.
Young Bled Strategic Forum is committed to ensuring equal opportunities to attend the YBSF are available to young leaders, regardless of their ability to pay. We work closely with our partners to provide all of our participants with accommodation, while a number of travel grants for candidates of various backgrounds and nationalities will be ensured. Travel grants may be awarded to selected participants on an individual basis and only up to the amount decided by the organizers, while we will ensure regional and expertise representation.
Countries eligible for the travel grant: Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Kosovo, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Ukraine.
The selected participants are expected to join in the extensive preparations and pre-event online meetings. Please note that the official language of the event is English, and that this is a prerequisite for participation in our activities. Only selected participants will be notified.
Apply by 10th of June 2019 at the latest.
For any additional inquiries, do not hesitate to contact us at [email protected]
16. 5. 2019 | Bled Strategic Forum, PR
Centre for European Perspective has together with Bled Strategic Forum supported Salient – Youth Conference titled “The Transatlantic Divide”
The Salient conference has always been about great content delivered in innovative ways. This year they have taken their approach a step further by introducing a 1+4 format: one whole day dedicated to public discussions with experts, policy-makers and political representatives, followed by four days of crisis-driven MUN and MEU simulations. This approach aims at providing a more focused learning experience that will give participants an opportunity to deepen their conceptual knowledge of the issues before testing it out in practice.
CEP has actively participated in one round table, titled “The Iran Deal: Beyond Salvageable?”, with CEP Executive Director Katja Geršak as a panelist, and project manager Meliha Muherina as moderator. The second panelist on the panel was Jožef Kunič, Former Ambassador to Iran.
The dispute over the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as the ‘Iran deal’ has split European countries and United States. US Presidents’ decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal has led to serious transatlantic tensions. The disagreement and withdrawal came when bilateral issues between the two traditional allies have been compromised by many discords, such as trade tariffs, ecological policies, US Presidents complaints about Europe’s low defense spending and others. But the disagreement over the Iran nuclear deal is worrying because not only does it damage already detached transatlantic relationships but also due to the underlying political issue on dealing with the revolutionary regime in Tehran. Iran’s nuclear ambitions, aggression in the region and support for terrorism call for strong transatlantic unity. Instead, the West is divided. The panel that leaded to an active dialogue addressed the historical events leading to the current situation, its geostrategic importance as well as developed various possible scenarios for the future.
CEP is dedicated to supporting youth initiatives and looks forward to participating in future editions.
For more info about Salient please visit the Salient website.
17. 12. 2018 | Bled Strategic Forum, PR
Bled Strategic Forum Secretary General took part in First annual forecasting event “EU and Western Balkans in 2019”, held in Belgrade.
Event, organised by European Fund for the Balkans, Balkans in Europe Policy Advisory Group (BiEPAG) and European Western Balkans, gathered more than 30 most influential opinion makers from the region and EU who gave their predictions about the trends and dynamics of policy developments in 2019. The aim of the discussions was to exchange views and to make conclusions that could influence the political decisions in the upcoming turbulent year.
What will post-election and post-Brexit EU look like? What could be predicted considering bilateral issues and regional cooperation in the Western Balkans? What trends the region could expect regarding the state of democracy, rule of law and media freedom? These are some of the topics discussed.
Main conclusion of the event was that European Union will not have the time for Western Balkans next year and, therefore, new energy for fight against stagnation and captured state has to be found. Read more about the discussion at
