(BSC) Authoritarianism as a cause of war and duty to resist

BELGRADE – A new regional conference, the Belgrade Security Conference (BSC), is planned October 27 and 28 2022 in Belgrade, under the auspices of the Belgrade Center for Security Policy (BCSP), under the title Authoritarianism as a cause of war and the duty to resist.

During the two-day conference, we will launch a dynamic discussion on the complex challenges that Europe and the world are currently facing, such as the war in Ukraine, the future of the EU, the fight for democracy, cybersecurity, energy dependence, the fight against organized crime and disinformation.

Participants at this year’s Conference will be addressed by the Nobel Peace Prize laureates – Uladzimir Vialichkin, representative of the Viasna Human Rights Center of Belarus, and Anastasia Garina, executive director of the Russian human rights organization Memorial. The importance of courageous individuals and civil society organizations in the fight against authoritarianism was also recognized by the Nobel Committee, which announced that this year’s Nobel Peace Prize laureates represented the civil society of their countries and demonstrated their importance for peace and democracy. The values ​​these organizations are fighting for are the values ​​that the Belgrade Security Conference organizing team also stands for, and through the discussions we want to highlight their importance for the world we live in.

The Belgrade Security Conference provides a space for courageous reflection and honest dialogue with current and former European and Balkan leaders, researchers, academics, activists, diplomats and politicians. During sixteen round tables, BSC will bring together more than 80 panelists from more than 20 countries around the world.

Ambassador and Head of the European Union Delegation to the Republic of Serbia, HE Emmanuele Giaufretwill open a panel devoted to the impact of the war in Ukraine on EU enlargement policy. The panel titled EU enlargement in new geopolitical circumstances: how to capitalize on the new momentum? will be moderated by Nikola Burazer, program director at the Center for Contemporary Politics and editor-in-chief of European Western Balkans. The discussion will focus on the importance of the Western Balkans for European security in light of new security challenges, as well as the political will of EU member states to exploit the new impetus of the enlargement policy and speed up the EU accession process. Western Balkan countries.

Will the new geopolitical circumstances really accelerate EU enlargement in the Western Balkans? What would need to be done to make the process more efficient and successful? These and others related questions will be answered Luka StericRresearcher at the Belgrade Center for Security Policy, Srđan Majstorovićpresident of the European Policy Center – Board of Directors of the CEP, as well as Yvette SzépesiCoordinator of European Neighborhood and Enlargement Policy at the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Member of the European Parliament Klemen Groselj.

On the first day, discussions will take place on authoritarianism in the EU and the Western Balkans and the challenge it poses to democracy. The discussion during the panel The EU‘The State’s Own Illiberal Challenge: Authoritarians at Home and in the Yard will be moderate by journalist Una HajDari, who will discuss illiberal political systems in Europe, their future, as well as their importance for citizens and enlargement policyin the company of the panelists. THEyou will include Milica DelevivsDirector of Competitiveness, Governance and Political Affairs at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Natasha Kazatchkinehead of the EU internal policy team for the Open Society Europe and Eurasia programme, Selim KoruCompanion of the Institute for Foreign Policy Research and Zsuzsanna Szelenyidirector of CEU Democracy Institute Leadership Academy.

The second day of the conference will provide insight into many relevant security issues, such as countering disinformation, cybersecurity, organized crime and Serbia-Kosovo relations.

Another important topic that will be discussed on the second day is the position of human rights defenders, during the panel Human dimension of security in the Western Balkans – Is there protection for human rights defenders?The harassment, threats and intimidation faced by human rights defenders in the Balkans will be discussed by panel participants moderated by Jovana Spremo lawyers‘ Human Rights Committee (YUCOM).

Some of the panelists will be Besnik BeslimiFirst Deputy Prime Minister of the Government of Kosovo, Jovana MarovicDeputy Prime Minister of the Government of Montenegro, Nikola Dimitrovformer Minister of Foreign Affairs of North Macedonia, Katalin Cseh and Klemen Groseljmembers of the European Parliament, Nils Muižnieksdirector of the European regional office of Amnesty International, Dunja MijatovicCommissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe, Odeta BarbullushiAdvisor to the Prime Minister and National Coordinator for the Regional Economic Space.