BSF 2016: "We need to channel our collective energy"
At this year's forum, much of the debate was centred on European integration, security and the future, and unique solutions. There were many views and positions on these key areas expressed by those representing our international community.
On behalf of Ban Ki-Moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations, Michael Møller, Director-General of the United Nations Office in Geneva, shared the keynote address, setting the general tone of this year's Bled Strategic Forum: "We need a change of mindset and we need to channel our collective energy," and to "stress the common vision of solidarity to set the future tone" stated Karl Erjavec, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia, in this year's introduction to the forum.
Safeguarding a European Future
As Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, President of the Republic of Croatia, stated in the leaders panel: "We need to be open and be clear in defining what our policies are" and "we need a firm stance and firm action." It is vital to ensure long-term stability and security to build a truly integrated European future, perhaps a reassessment of aspects of the status quo of security is preferential. Borut Pahor, President of the Republic of Slovenia, highlighted that the European Union is currently facing a critical point to either preserve it or build on it and that this is a "tough crisis for Europe." Karl Erjavec called for a "strong and integrated European Union" and stressed the importance of "burden-sharing." The rapid and effective adaptation of efficient defence and security structures to manage the current geostrategic reality within and outside of the European continent are vital to further ensure common values and appoint prerequisite standards for securing a European future.
Undoubtedly, enlargement can be pinpointed as a key success of EU policy. Nevertheless, external circumstances have created new challenges within the EU framework, where political dialogue must be enhanced to create sustainable progress and quickly adapted to the ever-changing circumstances. The 'European Union: Integration vs. Disintegration' panel discussion, where Vijay Rangarajan, European Director in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for the United Kingdom, shared his view that "when you come to hard security and the terrorist threat, the Brussels institutions are not really a major part of the solution. The real hard work is done between nation-states and that is the fact of today's cooperation." French Minister of State for European Affairs, Harlem Désir, shared his view that we need "the capability to answer to these issues."
Brexit was not a surprise
The post UK referendum framework for Europe is one very central feature for questioning the future of European Integration. Vijay Rangarajan made it clear that Brexit should not be seen as a crisis but rather, as a different path for the United Kingdom to look forward too. The decision undertaken by the people of the United Kingdom to leave the EU is, however, echoed among a number of EU Member States. Perhaps, as Dr Nik Gowing, International Broadcaster and Visiting Professor, King's College London put it, "Brexit was not a surprise."
Importance of globally sharing information
Key officials also pointed out the growing influential impact of digital transformation. Edi Rama, Prime Minister of the Republic of Albania, commented on the "loss of control" which is brought about by the digitalised world, bringing new threats to the international community. Borut Pahor highlighted the importance of "globally sharing information to deal with the immediacy" and eradication of rising issues. The progressive and varied use of technological means in various spectrums is growing and it is important that rising threats are countered in a similar manner.
Of key importance is also the future of energy geopolitics, where representatives of government, the private sector and international institutions centred their discussion on the key issues central to the annual Global Survey published by the International Energy Agency. Ambassador Mary Warlick, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Energy Resources, US Department of State, highlighted that the US has "been working closely with Member States, the European Commission and working through the US-EU Energy Council on what countries need to do to achieve energy security goals." She added that "a very important objective remains Ukraine."
The Western Balkans are in different phases
Arising from the aforementioned challenges for the EU, the final discussion at the forum questioned whether the EU remains an attractive pull factor for the countries of the Western Balkans. US Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, Hoyt Yee , explained that "all the countries in the western Balkans are in different phases, some are advanced, others very much behind." In discussing enlargement, "there has to be a more urgent approach to meet the requirements" and "we have a tremendous will of the people to join the European Union, but we have politicians who are not." "There have to be consequences for those that are obstructing the process of integration or reform." Professor Dejan Jović, Professor of International Relations and Head of Department of International Relations at the Faculty of Political Science, University of Zagreb, Croatia, stated that in the case of Bosnia and Herzegovina, "it will not reform, it's not because they don't want to reform, but because their system was set up by external forces," expressing that becoming part of the EU is becoming less likely.