Institute for International Relations

Project Coordinator

Bertelsmann Stiftung, Gütersloh, Germany

Project Partner in Croatia

Institute for International Relations (IMO), Zagreb

Timeframe

The project is implemented between 1 October and 31 December 2008 in seven South East European countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia.

Summary

The project intends with the series of expert meetings in seven South East European countries to engage experts and actors involved in national processes of opinion formation and decision making in an open dialogue on the status and the forthcoming challenges and risks of transformation in their respective county and in the whole region. The expert meetings are aimed at the professional public, civil society actors and decision-makers in ministries and parliaments of the seven South east European countries that do not yet belong to the EU member states. The main goal of the local workshops is getting experts, civil society actors and representatives of ministries in each of the seven South East European countries together to:

• Introduce the Transformation Index of the Bertelsmann Foundation(BTI), its philosophy and findings;
• Explain the mechanisms of transformation assessments and discussing their use in creating necessary political and economic reforms;
• Discuss the current situation in the respective countries and assess the transformation achievements and challenges;
• Identify the next necessary steps with regard to finalizing transformation and preparing for EU accession.

The title of the expert meeting in Croatia is "Croatia in Transformation: Political Management – achievements and challenges". The overall Bertelsmann initiative will conclude with a regional conference in Sarajevo in cooperation with the Regional Cooperation Council in the first half of 2009.