In this episode of Budapest Outlook, the renewed podcast series of the Hungarian Institute of International Affairs, the possibilities and opportunities for cooperation between the Western Balkans and Central Europe are discussed. Our guests are Jana Juzová from the Czech Republic, senior research fellow and head of the Global Europe Programme at EUROPEUM, and Zoran Nechev from the Republic of North Macedonia, head of the Center for EU Integration at the Institute for Democracy. The host is Andras Braun, Program Officer at the International Republican Institute.

We cover the following questions: What are the current challenges the Western Balkans region is facing? What good or best practices Central European countries could share with the Balkans? Are Central European experiences and practices something desirable for the Balkan countries? What are the future perspectives of cross-regional cooperation? Will Western Balkan countries benefit if they take part in existing regional structures, such as the Three Seas Initiative? Is the war in Ukraine a game-changer in regional relations?

The recording took place on the sidelines of the Budapest Balkans Forum.


The Budapest Outlook (“Kilátás”) is the renewed podcast series of the Hungarian Institute of International Affairs (HIIA).

The full podcast can be accessed via the link below, on our SoundCloud-channel or on our Spotify-channel!