1 Functional Borders and Sustainable Security: Integrating the Balkans in the EU (IBEU) Presentation for 3 rd Call Kick-off Meeting March, 2003 Brussels The Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP) Ruby Gropas

2 IBEU’s priorities and objectives  Objectives:  Provide insight on the changing nature of borders and security in the Balkans  Understand aspects and types of social and economic interaction within and among post-communist Balkan societies  Guiding hypotheses:  Define functionality of borders:  What are functional borders in the Balkans and what functions do they fulfill for society and the economy?  What are considered functional borders by the EU and what is the EU attempting to project into the region?  These two perspectives and approaches may be very different.  How can they be adapted and applied to work in the Balkans so as to:  Create positive social capital; restructure the informal sector; promote regional co-operation and a growth-generating migration  Integrate the Balkans into the European Union

3 IBEU’s case studies  4 cross-border and interdisciplinary case studies on the roots, nature and inter-dependencies between:  Networks of trusted social relations and dimensions of social capital;  Informal economic transactions and behaviour of non-compliance with regulatory frameworks;  Trade flows, banking, infrastructure projects and regional co-operation;  Demand and supply driven migration: effects on home and host countries

4 Clustering potential R ESEARCH E LEMENTS OF IBEU Integration and association as a means to create conditions for sustainable peace and economic development Cross-border co-operation; security implications and aspects of ‘border management’ Types and nature of cross-border interactions conducive to ‘region building’ and regional co- operation Contribute to an inter-disciplinary understanding of security based on civil-society building, social cohesion and institution (re)building Understand nature and mechanisms that fuel the informal sector, impact on SEE, cross-border relations and integration with EU; identify paths to reform or improve conditions for formal business R ELEVANT P ROJECTS EUBORDERCONF EXLINEA ELISE INFOREC

5 Expected results & relevance  Expected results :  Deeper understanding of the political economy and society of the Balkans  Suggest policy recommendations towards a dynamic and inclusionary approach to borders in and with the region  Relevance:  The EU has -Invested financial, technical, human and political resources and instruments to reconstruction, stabilisation and association (SAP, CARDS, etc) that are being called to respond to the region’s challenges -Committed itself to the region’s future integration in the EU  Economic and social tensions in the region have -Immediate effect on Europe’s overall security -Direct consequences on the EU’s external borders  Understanding the roots of these challenges and supporting mechanisms is necessary to: -(Re)formulate appropriate policies for the region -Lessons learnt for future EU intervention & reconstruction (Iraq, etc.)

6 ANNEX: IBEU Consortium Coordinator: The Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP) The London School of Economics (LSE) The Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies (WIIW) Istituto per l’Europa Centro-Orientale e Balcanica, University of Bologna (IECOB) The Institute for Market Economics, Sofia (IME) The Centre for Liberal Strategies, Sofia (CLS) The Romanian Academic Society (SAR)