On June 7th, 2024, the Western University of Timișoara, in collaboration with the New Strategy Center, hosted the eighth international conference “Security Challenges in the Balkans” under the patronage of the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The event brought together officials, experts, members of the diplomatic corps, representatives from academia and the private sector. This year’s themes encompassed the current security challenges in the Balkan region, particularly in the context of the ongoing war in Ukraine, the NATO and EU enlargement processes in the Balkans, economic security, and regional prosperity. In addition, the development of artificial intelligence and the impact of technologies in today’s complex security environment were key points of the discussion.
The Head of the Department for International Economic and Political Relations Ana-Maria Boromisa, PhD, was invited to share her professional expertise within the panel titled “Regional Prosperity in the Age of Economic Security”. There she discussed emerging security challenges and development opportunities in the Balkan region with other international colleagues. The panel was chaired by Alexandru Jădăneanț, Dean of the West University of Timisoara, and also featured the following speakers: Casian Nițulescu, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Energy of Romania; Ligia Ardelean, Country Manager at Atos GDC for Romania and Bulgaria; Alexandru Maximescu, Vice President of OMV Petrom, and Cristian Octavian Goiceanu, Chief Security Officer, Banca Comercială Română, Romania.
Ahead of the conference, on June 6th, 2024, the fourth convention of Balkan Think Tanks was held. This convention, led by the SETA Foundation from Turkey, aimed to facilitate dialogue among scholars from the Balkans and serve as a platform for discussing current political issues. Dr. Boromisa participated in the discussion titled “The Balkans and Turkey in Transforming Global Geopolitics” at the convention.
