Workshop on EU and NATO Conditionality Beyond State-Building in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Sarajevo, 19 December 2008

The final in the series of workshops was held at the Center for Post Graduate Inter-Disciplinary Studies, (CIPS), University of Sarajevo, on the 19th of December 2008.  The particular focus of this workshop was on regional and local perspectives on the impact of EU and NATO conditionality.  Whereas the previous workshops had focused on the EU and NATO’s impact on the process from peace to state building, this workshop focused on the process of ‘beyond state building’

Neven Andjelic, Christopher Bennett, Gulnur Aybet and Florian Bieber.

which is the completion of the integration of the Western Balkans into Euro-Atlantic structures.  In this sense, the workshop concentrated on the power of conditionality as an integrating exercise, rather than a ‘top down’ imposition of state building.   However, there was general agreement that the process of state building was not yet complete and that it was still premature to envisage EU and NATO conditionality working in the same way with previous enlargements. However, it was also agreed that the lessons learned

Raffi Gregorian, Deputy High Representative and Zoran Sajinovic, Deputy Defense Minister, and Gulnur Aybet.

from previous enlargements had to be taken on board.  The workshop was attended by the Deputy High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, officials from EUSR, OHR, NATO, the EU, the diplomatic community in Sarajevo, participants from NGOs, media and academia, as well as former members of the Defense Reform Commission.  At the end of the workshop, a reception was held in honour of the British Academy project, at the residence of the British Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina.  The project team would like to thank Ambassador Michael Tatham for his generosity and support for the project.

Raffi Gregorian, Deputy High Representative addressing the 3rd session with Gulnur Aybet and Zoran Sajinovic, Deputy Defense Minister.

The workshop was covered by the Bosnian TV news programme. A report was compiled at the end of the workshop and is available below as a pdf document.

Workshop Agenda (PDF)

Workshop Report (PDF)

Haris Abaspahic, Florian Bieber and Stephen Simosas addressing the workshop in the first session.

Reuf Bajrovic, Neven Andjelic and Senada Cumhurovic addressing the workshop in the second session.

Raffi Gregorian, Gulnur Aybet and Zoran Sajinovic addressing the workshop in the third session.

Workshop on Peace to State Building in Bosnia: The Impact of NATO Defence Reform and EU Police Reform

Brussels, 18 September 2008

(l to r) John MacGregor, Florian Bieber, Jamie Shea and Gulnur Aybet

The second in the series of workshops was held at the University of Kent’s Brussels School of International Studies (BSIS) on the 18th of September 2008. The particular focus of this workshop was the role of the EU and NATO in the process from peace to state building with special reference to police and defense reform.  Amongst the topics of discussion were the self contained success of defense reform and NATO’s leading role in this process, the EU’s difficulties and reluctance to impose police reform and the impact of internal politics in Bosnia and Herzegovina on the success or failure of these processes.  The impact of these reforms on the transition from OHR to EUSR was also discussed.  The workshop was attended by officials from NATO and the EU, as well as participants from NGOs, the media and academia.  A report was produced at the end of the workshop which is available as a pdf document on the link below.

Workshop Agenda (PDF)

Workshop Report (PDF)

Florian Bieber, Jamie Shea and Gulnur Aybet; Tihomir Loza and Nida Gelazis

Workshop on EU and NATO Statebuilding

Chatham House, London, 30 November 2007

Chatham House, London.

The project was launched on the 30th of November 2007 with a brainstorming workshop held at Chatham House, London, co-hosted by the International Security Programme at Chatham House. The workshop was attended by academics, journalists and policy makers with an interest in state building and the Balkans, as well as officials from the EU and NATO. Amongst the topics of discussion were the impact of conditionality on post conflict reconstruction, the NATO experience in peace to state building, EU conditionality in the transition from ‘Dayton to Brussels’ and the failure of conditionality with regard to current political developments in Bosnia. A report was produced at the end of the workshop which is available as a pdf document on the link below.

Workshop Agenda (PDF)

Workshop Report (PDF)

Workshop Participants (PDF)