The 1st International Conference on Balkan Studies (ICBS 2008)
“Integration of the Western Balkans into Euro-Atlantic Structures - Future Challenges”, Tirana, 7-8 November 2008, Hotel Tirana International.
The Scope of the Conference:
The enlargement of the EU and NATO during the last decade, principally towards Central and Eastern Europe, has constituted one of the most important developments in the region since the fall of the Communism. The process of accession to the EU and to a lesser extent to NATO has served as a catalyser for the conduct of substantial political, economic, administrative and structural reforms by the aspiring countries. At the same time, NATO membership has meant for the new members becoming part of a large security area and cementing their status as mature, vibrant democracies and market economies.