Gazela Pudar Draško, Director of the Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory (IFDT) and a Board Member of the Regional Network of Centers for Advanced Studies (RECAS), contributed as an expert at the Eighth Joint Science Conference of the Berlin Process. The conference, held at the Berlin State Library on 30 September and 1 October, gathered participants under the theme “Courage for Future,” focusing on enhancing the integration of Western Balkan countries into the European Union through education, research, and innovation.
The conference resulted in a Joint Statement calling for a strategic realignment of the EU’s approach to the Western Balkans. It emphasized the unification of two key principles: excellence and solidarity and proposed the creation of a “Western Balkans Facility for Skills, Research, and Innovation,” which would consolidate funding from various EU programs. This initiative is seen as crucial for accelerating the integration of Western Balkan countries into the EU’s education, research, and innovation sectors ahead of potential accession.
Pudar Draško’s participation, alongside other experts, underlined the importance of regional cooperation and the role of intellectuals in fostering democratic resilience in the face of growing challenges such as nationalism, populism, and disinformation.
The full Joint Statement from the conference can be viewed here.