A few weeks ago, I was grateful to attend an event co-organised by UCL Public Policy and Chatham House, titled 'A Storm in the Western Balkans'. The panel invited consisted of Andi Hoxhaj OBE , Armida van Rij & the Prime Minister of Kosova, and Albin Kurti, all amazing and extremely insightful speakers. Some topics discussed were the integration of Western Balkan nations into the EU, internal and external reform, and the ongoing indifference between the ethnic Albanians and Serbs in Kosova.
Andi Hoxhaj OBE (rightfully) questioned the idea of 'gradual integration' into the EU, stating that its lack of time scale makes the process an unclear one. A proper, stable plan would make it clearer, therefore putting pressure on any future integration that will occur. He claimed that is important that Albania and Bosnia should work hand-in-hand in the pursuit of integration into the EU, two Balkan countries in similar political positions. Hoxhaj also made some interesting points regarding future steps, advocating for the reopening of BBC Albania, as a way to prevent disinformation worldwide, but also that the UK can be more vocal and accurate in the information they release about Albania, due to recent negative connotations being made for Albania and Albanians.
PM Kurti focused on the perception that the EU had of the Western Balkans as a whole, claiming that the distrust it has in the region, is due to the EU's lack of self-confidence. He pushes for more courageous leadership, co-operation, and solidarity between democratic countries, which he hopes would 'strengthen our spirits'. What stood out to me was Mr. Kurti’s knowledge and ability to spurt out statistic after statistic, in a way to support his arguments, such as the fact that in Kosova, 94% of the population wishes to join the EU, whereas in Serbia the figure is at 35%. Mr Kurti claimed that, before the independence of Kosova, Serbia’s figure was significantly higher. An idea that ran throughout Mr Kurti’s responses was to push the co-operation between countries, be that within the Balkans, Europe, and globally. As well as this, he claimed that the EU should talk more to people, and less to leaders, putting focus and significance on the word of the people, rather than just those elected and in positions of authority. In response to an excellent question asked by Roni, one of our ALSA members, Mr. Kurti also mentioned the focus that Kosova has, and will continue to have, on the labour market, ensuring the youth are educated properly and accurately, as well as being taught professional and vocational skills. Mr Kurti believes that breaching the skills gap in this area with help improve and develop the labour market, improving the overall economy of the country. This would allow for experienced workers who have migrated throughout the diaspora to reinvest their skills back into the motherland – a great economic factor for Kosova!
After the talk followed a networking event, where myself, Denisa and Roni were able to meet some new people, as well as see some familiar faces from all walks of life, including journalists, political figures, and of course, Mr Albin Kurti himself.
A particularly memorable moment occurred when the ALSA team engaged in a conversation with Mr. Kurti, who revealed that he was already familiar with ALSA. This revelation served as a testament to the widespread recognition and significant impact that the ALSA team has achieved.
I would highly recommend being active on social media, especially LinkedIn, where I was able to find out about this event and share it with some people. Some of these events, of course, are invite-only, or take place in the form of webinars online, but definitely try to keep an eye out for any similar events in the future!
As a closing note, a simple, yet meaningful quote by PM Mr Kurti:
'Work hard, be fearful, but never panic!'
Heidi Mustafa
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