Albanian general elections 2025: Out with the old, in with the same? Published: 19 February 2025 Commentary On 11 May 2025, Albania will hold parliamentary elections, the first since officially opening EU accession negotiations. While some significant changes mark this election—most notably, diaspora voting and partial candidate list openness—major systemic factors remain unchanged. The Socialist Party (SP), in power since 2013, appears poised for an unprecedented fourth mandate. Alba Çela
Eurovision: National self-portrayal or building a European identity? Published: 6 May 2024 Analysis Although the Eurovision Song Contest was not intended as an instrument of European integration, it has become a symbol of it – even if the relationship between national and European identity is contradictory. Dr. Dean Vuletic
Reviving the EU accession agenda for the Western Balkans demands credibility and engagement Published: 16 November 2023 Press release Enlargement regained prominence of the European Union agenda after Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. However, the window of opportunity for moving forward will not stay open forever. Western Balkan Strategy Group
A clear mandate for a deeper partnership between Germany and France Published: 26 January 2023 Commentary The year 2023 starts with the 60th anniversary of the Elysée Treaty, the cornerstone of reconciliation and partnership between the Federal Republic of Germany and France after the catastrophe of the Second World War. This partnership is today actively supported by more than 80% of the populations of both countries and is seen as a major driving force behind the future of the European Union. Marc Berthold
Europe and the Western Balkans: Dull Reality and Unrealistic Expectations Published: 25 November 2019 Analysis After the EU accession talks with Albania and North Macedonia have been vetoed by French President Emmanuel Macron, the question remains how and why the EU accession process for the Western Balkans seems to be going nowhere, and what this potentially means for the region. Zlatko Dizdarević
European election campaign in Poland: test run for autumn general elections Published: 14 May 2019 Backgrounder The figures speak for themselves: 15 years after joining the European community, 91 percent of Poles support EU membership, with only five percent against. According to 78 percent of those surveyed, the consequences are overwhelmingly positive. Moreover, 56 percent feel they are Europeans, an increase of around 13 percent compared to 2014. Irene Hahn-Fuhr
Out of Focus: the EU’s Relations with the Western Balkans Published: 9 October 2018 Article The EU has lost a great deal of its standing and influence in the Western Balkans. Domestic political elites consolidate their power through ever-tightening control over civic space. Why do millions of euros in governance and civil society assistance have failed to support robust democracies? Toby Vogel
Existential Quandary of the European Centre-Left Published: 6 March 2018 Article Center-left parties have to reinvent and reposition regarding the new world order shaped by globalization, digitalization and changing labour conditions. People expect new answers to migration, a growing life expectancy and a vision of a “modern welfare state”. Jelena von Helldorff
Capacity Building - Conclusions and Recommendations "How to Counter Right Wing Populism and Extremism in Europe" Published: 24 December 2015 Across Europe, democracies are increasingly under pressure from right-wing parties and movements that often combine radical anti-immigrant and Islamophobic positions with populist rhetoric. Those movements differ strongly in their party programmes, ranging from Eurosceptic to overtly racist but share a disdain for the existing political institutions.
