Policy Papers

Instituti Shqiptar për Studime Ndërkombetare (AIIS)  në bashkëpunim me KIPRED dhe me mbështjetjen e Open Society Foundation in Albania kreu një projekt të quajtur "Shqipëria dhe Kosova - A është bashkimi e ardhmja e përbashkët?"  për të kontribuar në debatin dhe politikë bërjen në Shqipëri dhe Kosovë, dhe për të përmirësuar marrëdheniet strategjike mes dy vendeve, duke zbërthyer idenë e bashkimit nga një pikpamje ligjore dhe politike.  

Botimi në shqip mund të aksesohet më poshtë: 

The Albanian Institute for International Studies in cooperation with  KIPRED and with the support of the Open Society Foundation in Albania carried out a project entitled 

"Albania and Kosovo what is the future- Deconstructing the idea of unification”, in order to contribute to the debate and policy making in Albania and Kosovo for improving the strategic relations between the two countries including the deconstruction of the unification idea from the legal and political standpoint.

The publication in  English,can be accessed below:

The process of European integration has encountered several difficulties for the Western Balkan region and the signs of fatigue are everywhere. The European Union internal political dynamic is not helping. With the Brexit deadline fast approaching and the European elections that took place in May 2019, it is time for the Western Balkan countries to ’weather this storm’ together.

Potential membership in the European Union (EU) is the main foreign policy priority of both countries. In accordance with its European orientation both Serbia and Albania are willing to prove their commitment to the promotion of regional cooperation. The initial step that should be undertaken is the establishment of cultural policy in order to bring freshness into the strained relations of the two countries.

The economic dimension of regional cooperation is a key pillar for achieving an interconnected and developed Western Balkan region. With this regard, strategic policy documents of Western Balkan countries, compiled in collaboration with EU Institutions, underline the objective of establishing a unified regional market in the Balkans. The South East Europe Strategy (SEE 2020), the central platform of economic cooperation in the Western Balkans, focuses on several shared projects in the areas of trade, tourism, transport and energy in order to foster the formation of the regional market.

The economic dimension of regional cooperation is a key pillar for achieving an interconnected and developed Western Balkan region. Due to the prolonged economic transition, the high unemployment, especially among the youngsters, and the consideration of WB6 countries as non-functioning market economies, the economic cooperation and integration pillar has in fact topped the agenda of the ‘Berlin Process’ and has consequently received the largest allocation of funds, when compared with the other two –diplomatic and soft- pillars. 

Regional cooperation has constituted an important part of the overall EU policy with regard to EU accession of the Western Balkans. 

The question remains how regional cooperation can be enhanced between Albania and Serbia and the Western Balkan region in general given the existing mechanisms and institutions.

This policy brief addresses the current situation in each of the countries with regard to the energy sector and specifically to its components, including electricity, natural gas, oil and renewable energy. Another part of the policy brief discusses the conditions of regional and European network cooperation in energy policy given the role of international organizations, existing energy international projects that have an impact on the two countries’ ‘energy package’ as well as in the region.

Serbia and Albania are the two largest countries of the Western Balkans and in the same time they exert a major political influence in the region. As such, the relations between these two countries are instrumental for the stability and the future integration of the region into the EU. In this context, the trade relationship between Serbia and Albania will play a crucial role to the further consolidation of the fragile political ties between both countries. 

Tourism is a powerful tool to bring different countries together. By better knowing one another, people of different cultures and backgrounds will find it much harder to generate feelings of hatred and animosity against each other. Thus, the consolidation of interaction in the area of tourism between Serbia and Albania is very important for the further stabilization of the relations between the countries, since it will not only trigger better economic prospects but it will also positively change the perception that both nations have towards each other.