2/04/2025
March 31, 2025, Durres, Albania: From March 28 to 30, 2025, 24 members of organizations from Kosovo and Serbia gathered in Durres, Albania, for a peacebuilding workshop aimed at strengthening cooperation and reinforcing the role of civil society in the normalization process between Kosovo and Serbia.
The workshop brought together a diverse and experienced group of participants from leading think tanks, advocacy organizations, and EU peacebuilding institutions. Over two days of in-depth discussions, participants assessed the evolving political dynamics in Kosovo, Serbia, the EU, and the United States, and how these shifts are affecting civic space and peacebuilding efforts.
Facilitated by Dr. Lulzim Peci and Dr. Sonja Stojanović Gajić, the sessions focused on the challenges facing civil society actors amid increasing polarization, shrinking civic space, and ethno-political radicalization. Participants also explored options and approaches for more collective efforts to support the normalization dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia.
A key outcome of the workshop was the agreement on a joint letter to be sent to H.E. Kaja Kallas, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy / Vice-President of the European Commission, H.E. Marta Kos, Commissioner for Enlargement and H.E. Peter Sørensen, EU Special Representative for the Kosovo-Serbia Normalization Dialogue. The letter outlines shared concerns, and concrete recommendations as well as a request for an official meeting with EU representatives.
The workshop reaffirmed the commitment of civil society actors to remain active and constructive contributors to the Kosovo-Serbia normalization dialogue and emphasized the need for the EU to put forward a more ambitious agenda in accelerating the Western Balkans accession process in the EU, including integration in the Single Market as well as more clarity in communicating and facilitating the normalization dialogue, including objectives of the process.
