by MK
First annual SEE Observatory event will bring together Italy, Albania and Montenegro’s foreign ministers alongside youth delegates and European officials
Trieste will host the inaugural SEE Observatory Annual Forum on Sept. 14–15, bringing together political leaders, European officials and young participants to discuss accelerating the integration of the Western Balkans into the European Union.
The two-day event marks the first anniversary of the SEE Observatory, an initiative focused on cooperation and policy dialogue across Southeast Europe. Organizers say the forum will emphasize both institutional decision-making and the role of younger generations in shaping Europe’s future.
The opening day, Sept. 14, will feature the SEE Youth Forum at the MIB Trieste School of Management, where scholarship recipients and youth representatives from across Southeast Europe will develop proposals on the future of European integration. Their recommendations will be presented to policymakers during the main forum the following day.
On Sept. 15, the SEE Observatory Annual Forum will take place at the Ridotto of Trieste’s Teatro Verdi under the theme “Accelerating the Integration of the Western Balkans as a Strategic Choice for Europe’s Future.”
The event will open with remarks from Andrea Cangini, director of the SEE Observatory; Valentina Superti, the European Commission’s director for the Western Balkans; Vladimir Nanut, founder and chief executive of MIB Trieste School of Management; Franco Dal Mas, secretary general of the Central European Initiative; Friuli Venezia Giulia Governor Massimiliano Fedriga; and Trieste Mayor Roberto Dipiazza.
The forum’s central discussion will be a roundtable moderated by Ambassador Luigi Mattiolo, honorary president of the SEE Observatory, featuring Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, Albanian Foreign Minister Ferit Hoxha, and Montenegrin Foreign Minister Ervin Ibrahimović. The ministers are expected to discuss the European Union’s enlargement strategy, Italy’s priorities in the region and the conditions needed to advance the accession process for the Western Balkans.
During the event, Tajani will award six scholarships funded by the SEE Observatory: five grants worth €1,000 each and one full scholarship valued at €28,000, covering tuition for the 37th edition of the MBA in International Business at MIB Trieste School of Management.
The forum will also unveil the Charter of the Southeast Europe Observatory, a policy document outlining proposals to accelerate EU enlargement, with particular attention to the timeline and framework for integrating Southeast European countries.
The closing address will be delivered by Senator Marco Lombardo, who will speak on the challenge of disinformation in the Western Balkans.
Organizers said the ideas developed during the Youth Forum will help shape the 2027 edition of the Liberal Dialogues initiative, which is expected to expand participation to Croatia, Kosovo, North Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina in collaboration with the Western Balkans Youth Lab 2 and the Regional Cooperation Council.
