Marin Lessenski, Program Director at OSI-Sofia, gave a talk to students from Sofia, Skopje, Berlin, Dijon, and Nancy, presenting the Think Tanks for the Future of EU Enlargement Program of OSI-Sofia. His presentation also covered key issues in Bulgaria-North Macedonia relations, challenges related to EU enlargement towards the Western Balkans, and potential solutions to these complex issues.
The discussion involved 24 students from Sciences Po (Dijon), Humboldt University (Berlin), St. St. Cyril and Methodius University (Skopje), and New Bulgarian University (Sofia). This exchange took place under the initiative Youth European Dialogue Bulgaria – France – Germany – North Macedonia: A Touring European Summer School, funded by the Franco-German Youth Office (OFAJ/DFJW) and supported by the French and German embassies in Bulgaria, the French Institute in Bulgaria, and the Central Fund for Strategic Development of New Bulgarian University.
Organized by Chief Assistant Petya Georgieva, PhD, from NBU, the event took place on October 31, 2024, at the French Institute in Sofia. The program included a series of lectures by Prof. Antony Todorov (NBU) and Maria Simeonova (ECFR), along with meetings with H.E. Irene Plank, the German Ambassador, and H.E. Joël Meyer, the French Ambassador to Bulgaria.
The OSI-Sofia regional program Think Tanks on the Future of EU Enlargement seeks to promote informed debate on EU enlargement by incorporating perspectives from think tanks in candidate countries. It fosters partnerships with prominent EU think tanks, including Germany’s DGAP Foreign Policy Council, France’s Jacques Delors Institute, the Clingendael Institute, and Carnegie Europe (https://thenextmile.eu/).
