We are delighted to welcome Catherine Fieschi (@cfieschi.bsky.social) to Carnegie Europe as a nonresident scholar. A leading expert on European politics, Catherine will analyze the rise of populist and authoritarian movements in advanced democracies. We will be sharing more of her work soon.

European defence plans must not overlook the Western Balkans' role. "Geography is one of the strongest arguments", say Bojana Zorić (@euiss.bsky.social) and @ilirianagjoni.bsky.social (@carnegieeurope.bsky.social) #EuropeanDefence #militarymobility #WesternBalkans newunionpost.eu/2026/02/27/e...

Europe’s rearmament cannot stop at its borders. The Western Balkans have a critical role in Europe’s defence readiness: from defence-industrial capacity to military mobility & regional resilience. 🔗 ow.ly/uEIV50Yh1Ph

EVENT | Can Europe Ever Trust the United States Again? 📢 On January 14, 2026, join @nathalietocci.bsky.social & @jantechau.bsky.social for a live debate launching our "Europe Head-to-Head" project, in which we unpack the most pressing questions facing the EU. 👉 carnegieendowment.org/events/2025/...

⚖️🌍 #Rules or #Deals? #Montenegro is at a constitutional crossroads - and the choice matters for the whole region. Read my new piece for @boell.de 👇 boell.de/en/2025/12/1... #EUenlargement #RuleOfLaw #Montenegro

NEW | The UAE has become a major investor in the Western Balkans. With enlargement back on the agenda, the EU must ensure that foreign capital meets its governance standards, write @ilirianagjoni.bsky.social, Iva Čukić, Alba Çela, & Aleksandër Trajçe. carnegieendowment.org/research/202...

At the #EUEnlargementForum I stressed that debates on enlargement must reflect the whole region. #Kosovo remains outside formal candidate framing, yet its #cultural presence is unmistakably #European. 🙏 Thank you, #Telegrafi for capturing this. telegrafi.com/iliriana-xho...

North Macedonia has “no clear path forward” on EU accession. However, if Albania and Montenegro were to join the Union, "that might help to unlock the situation," says @ilirianagjoni.bsky.social, research analyst @carnegieeurope.bsky.social #NorthMacedonia newunionpost.eu/2025/11/18/n...

🔹 Spoke at #CarnegieEurope with Director General @GertJanEU, Rosa Balfour & Stefan Lehne on #EUEnlargement. 📘 2025 package shows real political will. ⚠️ Serbia’s backsliding finally named; Kosovo’s efforts underrated. 🌍 By 2030, MNE, AL, MD & IS could join. Link below. 🔗 youtu.be/2gKR8jdZ9Qg?...

🔹 The Western Balkans are no longer just recipients of security. Countries in the region are building defence industries, joining EU/NATO missions, and exploring paths into EU defence instruments — but reforms and deeper cooperation are still needed. Read Dimitar Bechev and me👇

Looking forward to sharing the floor with 𝐆𝐞𝐫𝐭 𝐉𝐚𝐧 𝐊𝐨𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐚𝐧, Director-General for Neighbourhood & Enlargement Negotiations at the European Commission, and my colleagues 𝐑𝐨𝐬𝐚 𝐁𝐚𝐥𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐫 and 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐟𝐚𝐧 𝐋𝐞𝐡𝐧𝐞, Director and Senior Fellow at @carnegieeurope.bsky.social 🌍 Join us on #Nov6!

My latest piece on #Kosovo elections, with Donika Emini.

#interview #montenegrin #vijesti O tome kako se glas može čuti i kroz 🎼 klavir i kroz ✍️ analizu. O 🌍 Balkanu, 🇪🇺 Evropi, i tihoj snazi 🎭 kulture u politici. 🙏 Hvala Samiru Adroviću na pažljivim pitanjima i prostoru da spojim oba svijeta. www.vijesti.me/vijesti/kult...

My latest essay for #EuropeanVoices is out! A journey across music, visas & 🇪🇺 dreams — and what the #WesternBalkans might reveal about the future of #Europe. 👇 Read it here: Borders and Belonging www.linkedin.com/pulse/border... #EuropeanVoices #EUEnlargement #Identity #BalkansInEu

🌿 Honoured to receive a #VibekeSørensenGrant from the #EuropeanUniversityInstitute for a month-long research stay at the #HistoricalArchives of the #EU in Florence 🇮🇹 this autumn. A prestigious award supporting archival work on European integration. More soon! ✨ #EUI #EUarchives #Florence

🎻 The day after Tuz, we played in #Ulqin/#Ulcinj — my hometown — where music met memory. Among familiar faces, with #BledarZajmi & #SenadGačević beside me, we shared a night of cello, piano, and soul. A tradition continued, a spirit revived. 📸: Allmir Suka

🎶 On May 28 in Tuz 🇲🇪, I performed in concert with #BledarZajmi, solo cellist of #PragueOpera. By the River Cem, we played world, #Albanian & #Montenegrin works — including by #Gačević, who was with us in the audience. A night of beauty, belonging & #CulturalDiplomacy. #WesternBalkans #ClassicalMusic

Kosovo faces hurdles on its EU path. To move forward, Prishtina must revive its dialogue with Belgrade, write @dimitarbechev.bsky.social, @ilirianagjoni.bsky.social, Lukáš Macek, @milanninberlin.bsky.social, @nikoxw.bsky.social, and @wouterzweers.bsky.social. carnegieendowment.org/research/202...

🎶 Honoured to open the #Carnegie Board meeting in Brussels with Debussy’s Clair de Lune—a quiet call for peace through nuance, not force.🌙 💬 Estonia’s FM @Tsahkna : To end the war, #Russia must face consistent pressure. 🌍 #CarnegieEndow - a global force for rules-based order.

As #Montenegro debates a #UAE deal today, the #EU faces a test. Will it offer more than silence as others reshape its neighbourhood? #Ulcinj/#Ulqin could be a pilot for real EU engagement, before accession. “Displacement can arrive in the shape of a beachfront villa.” More in my #CarnegieEurope blog

Honored to be interviewed by #Finland’s oldest news agency #STT (est. 1887) on the ongoing #protests in #Serbia. Citizens, especially students, demand truth & accountability as state narratives try to discredit them. #WesternBalkans #Serbia www.suomenmaa.fi/uutiset/serb...

On Apr 8 I spoke at the #FEPS conference on #EUenlargement, in the session “Progressive Enlargement Under Pressure.” We looked at how #nationalism, #far-right movements & #external actors are reshaping the future of EU enlargement. Here are my 3 key points 🧵:

The future of #Enlargement is being affected by the shift to the (far) right. “A common new chapter for #EUEnlargement” gathered experts & policymakers to discuss: 👉 candidate countries' socio-economic development 👉 young people 👉 role of nationalist & far-right forces ➡️ bit.ly/NewChapterEU...

Më ndiqni në #EuronewsAlbania për analizën mbi rezultatet e zgjedhjeve në #Gjermani dhe ndikimin e tyre në #Europë dhe botë. Çfarë do të thotë kjo për të ardhmen e BE-së dhe ekuilibrat globalë? Link: youtu.be/tUxCBAu-svM?...

On May 28, I’ll be in Tuz, #Montenegro, with the Prague Opera's solo-cellist, Bledar Zajmi! 🎶✨ Excited to perform for the first time in my mom's hometown, honoring my #Malësia roots. A program blending classical masterpieces with #Albanian & Montenegrin music. Can’t wait! 🇦🇱🇲🇪

Some loves are forever. #myvalentine

🇪🇺 Pleasure to speak at the #EuropeanParliament on #EUenlargement! 🎯 Key takeaways: 🔄 Circular labor migration – EU to invest in retaining & reintegrating Balkan talent. 💡 Be bold – EU to stand firmly for democracy & rule of law. 🤝 More EU-Balkan exchanges – at all levels! youtu.be/PcgaALEiiT8?...

Moj zadnji clanak za #StrategicEurope, blog prestiznog instituta @carnegieeurope.bsky.social sada mozete procitati i na #crnogorskom. "𝑩𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒆𝒍 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒂 𝒅𝒂 𝒐𝒅𝒍𝒖𝒄̌𝒊 𝒅𝒂 𝒍𝒊 𝒄́𝒆 𝒏𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒕𝒊 𝒅𝒂 𝒑𝒐𝒅𝒓𝒛̌𝒂𝒗𝒂 𝑽𝒖𝒄̌𝒊𝒄́𝒂, 𝒖𝒑𝒓𝒌𝒐𝒔 𝒑𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒊𝒋𝒂𝒍𝒏𝒊𝒎 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒍𝒋𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒎𝒂 𝒑𝒐 𝑲𝒐𝒔𝒐𝒗𝒐 𝒊 𝑪𝒓𝒏𝒖 𝑮𝒐𝒓𝒖" www.vijesti.me/svijet/balka...

By refusing to apply pressure on #Vučić, the #EU is emboldening the #Serbian government. If #Brussels is serious about supporting #democracy in the #WesternBalkans, it must empower the Serbian people—not their #authoritarian rulers. Read my analysis for #CarnegieEurope's Strategic Europe blog here:

Very happy to be part of this impressive #panel at the #EUparliament next week! Among #MEPs and #experts from the #EU institutions and #CivilSociety. Let's go, #EUenlargement! 💪

"From a 🇪🇺 perspective, #Montenegro, an EU candidate and democratic country – should resolve its challenges through regular #parliamentary procedures. Political actors to avoid hateful rhetoric and focus on building political #consensus. Solutions: preliminary budget and involving impartial bodies."

[Analysis] #EUEnlargement - #NorthMacedonia’s #EU path: Challenges and opportunities in 2025, by Zweers Wouter, Benjamin Couteau @dimitarbechev.bsky.social , @ilirianagjoni.bsky.social , Milan Nic & Nikola Xavier | @clingendael.bsky.social

🎶✨ Brussels peeps, mark your calendars! 📅 Jan 19, 2025 🕔 5 PM 📍 Art Base (Rue des Sables 29, 1000 Brussels) Join me & pianist Rea Veizi for an unforgettable evening of classical melodies! 🎼🎹 🎟️ Grab your tickets: send short email to [email protected] #BrusselsEvents

My next concert is in #Brussels! 📅 19 January 2025, 17h00 📍 Art Base, Brussels Excited to invite you to my next #concert with Paris-based pianist Rea Veizi and me! The one-hour concert will be followed by drinks and a chance to meet the artists. 🎟 Tickets: [email protected].

#Kosovo might not have candidate status yet, but it’s quietly leading by example: real reforms in justice, anti-corruption, rule of law, & economic growth, per #CouncilConclusions. No shortcuts, no profit-driven moves - just genuine commitment to the EU path.👏🇽🇰 #EUintegration

Talked to #EUobserver on the EU- #WesternBalkans Summit. #Montenegro and #Albania strike positive steps ahead by closing 3 chapters and opening #Cluster6 negotiations, respectively. #Serbia blocked by 8 EU countries on the opening of #Cluster3. euobserver.com/eu-and-the-w...

Scoping trip to #TheHague with #Clingendael, #DGAP, #DelorsInstitute & #CarnegieEurope. Insights on Dutch view on #EUenlargement: parallels with #France on narrative & merit vs geopolitics, but unique with annual Parliament review of a gov letter on the topic. Thanks Clingendael!

#Grenell wasn’t picked as Special Envoy for #Ukraine & #Russia, but he’s set to return as Envoy for #SpecialMissions, including the #Balkans, per #Reuters. 💬 Last month I explored what this could mean for the region on #CarnegieEurope's Blog: 🔗 carnegieendowment.org/europe/strat... What's your take?

Ahead of the #EU - #WesternBalkans Summit on #18December, we are pleased to share our latest memo on #NorthMacedonia's #EU accession journey in 2025. It was a privilege to visit #Skopje alongside colleagues from #DelorsInstitute, #DGAP, #Clingendael and #CarnegieEurope, as well as #Tetova on my own.

First #concert in #Paris! Honored to perform with Rea Veizi in a #piano 4-hand program featuring #Debussy, #Mozart, #Fauré, and #Brahms. The city was alive with the spirit of #NotreDame reopening—an unforgettable night. Grateful to all who joined! Next stop: #Brussels, Jan 19. 🎶✨ #ClassicalMusic

Moja zadnja #analiza prevodjena je za #crnogorske #Vijesti. Ps. Drago bi mi bilo da mi nisu preveli i ime. :D www.vijesti.me/svijet/balka...

🚨 New article alert! 🚨 Richard Grenell's return to #US diplomacy would present both risks & opportunities for the Western #Balkans. While the new 🇺🇸 administration may offer flashy deals, countries in the region must remain committed to European integration. carnegieendowment.org/europe/strat...

Choose one alive or human

Join us for a 4-hands #pianorecital in #Paris on #7December at 21h at Théâtre de l’Île Saint-Louis.🎶 With Paris-based #ReaVeizi & me—a #Brussels-based Albanian/Montenegrin/German pianist (yes, quite the combo!)-we bring you a program of #inspiration & #emotion. Don’t miss it!