On the bumpy road of European integration: recent developments in the Western Balkans

Joint workshop of the Magyar Nemzeti Bank (MNB) and the Oesterreichische Nationalbank (OeNB)

After decades of anticipation and growing enlargement fatigue, certain steps have recently been made towards the integration of the Western Balkan countries to the European Union. However, a number of obstacles remains on the road leading to the desired endpoint of EU membership. These obstacles widely affect the economic performance of the region: the lack of sufficient levels of integration resulted in the Western Balkans’ convergence proving to be slower than that of Central, Eastern and Southeastern European (CESEE) member states. Nevertheless, 2024 brought about successes, as well, such as the integration of Western Balkans payment systems to that of the ESCB.

Global geopolitical shifts of the 2010s and 2020s have not left the Western Balkans unaffected, either. Trade and investment have shown certain patterns of diversification with global and regional powers appearing as ever more powerful players in the region, creating a new reality for nations of the region. Hence, discourse on developments on the Western Balkans is as important and topical as ever.

The joint workshop of Magyar Nemzeti Bank (MNB) and the Oesterreichische Nationalbank (OeNB) thus focuses on recent economic developments in the Western Balkans. Both organizing countries are highly intertwined with the entirety of the region in economic and financial terms, and belong to the greatest supporters when it comes to Western Balkans countries’ European integration. The program of this workshop thus tackles these developments in the form of a keynote lecture as well as three panel discussions. A series of papers authored by i.a. the organizing institutions shall be presented, furthermore, experts shall discuss the prospects of the Western Balkans countries’ European economic integration.

Date
Friday, 11 April 2025 | Start: 9:00 AM | End: 14:30 PM (CEST) 

Venue
Magyar Nemzeti Bank
Krisztina körút 55, 1013 Budapest