The Balkan Communication Network BCN Presentation at the conference Civil society development in SE Europe: Building

1. 18 April 2008 The Balkan Communication Network (BCN)Presentation at the conference �Civil society development in SE Europe: Building Europe together� Brussels 18 April 2008 Ioannis Armakolas, PhD (Cantab) Research Fellow & Project Manager South East Europe Programme Hellenic Centre for European Studies (EKEM)

2. 18 April 2008 Agenda Basic info about the BCN Agenda for 2008 � Presidency of EKEM - ELIAMEP Successes and best practices Failures Problems encountered, weaknesses and limitations Lessons learned Significance of the BCN Is it a Strategic Partnership? Is it Effective Networking? Do we need the BCN/What way forward?

3. 18 April 2008 Basic information about the BCN Foundation: Date: June 2005 Title: �Balkan Communication Network� (BCN) Founding event: Balkan Conference on Cooperation between the Strategic and Research Centres (Ankara) Concept: Network of communication and coordination of Balkan Strategic and Research Centres Objectives: �The network aims to enhance the cooperation among Balkan Strategic and Research Centres and to create a platform which provides its members with the opportunity for sharing information about their activities, research, publications, and identifying and pursuing joint projects.�

4. 18 April 2008 Basic information about the BCN Initial ideas for BCN added value: �Balkan Conflict Prevention, Crisis Management, and Peace-building Process� (joint risk analyses, prevention of new conflicts, resolution of existing, participation of civil societies in security policy process, promotion of common security culture, track, assess and provide policy advice on security sector reform, move away from �hard security�, extend to cover democracy, good governance, human rights, ROL etc.) �Balkan Wise Men/Women Group� (expert body-driver of agenda) �Balkan Contact Group� (effective and reliable dissemination of information, raising raising IC awareness, Balkan lobby to the IC and western societies) Extend BCN�s security deliberations and coordination process to cover Black Sea region. Intensify security cooperation with BS region.

5. 18 April 2008 Basic information about the BCN Narrow versus wide concept: Objectives- narrow scope Initial ideas for activities and mechanisms- wide scope Implementation so far- narrow scope Major events: Annual Conferences of the BCN Sofia (May-June 2006) Bucharest (June-July 2007) Thessaloniki (October 2008) Presidencies: Turkey (2005), Bulgaria (2006), Romania (2007), Greece (2008)

6. 18 April 2008 Basic information about the BCN Membership - countries represented: Albania (1) Bosnia and Herzegovina (1) Bulgaria (4) Croatia (1) Greece (3) FYR Macedonia (1) Romania (3) Serbia (2) Turkey (5) Total membership: 9 Balkan countries, 21 organisations

7. 18 April 2008 Basic information about the BCN Members: Institute of International and Strategic Studies (Albania) Center for Security Studies (Bosnia-Herzegovina) Center for South East European Studies (Bulgaria) Diplomatic Institute, MFA (Bulgaria) European Institute (Bulgaria) Institute for International Relations (Croatia) Hellenic Center of European Studies (Greece) Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (Greece) Institute for Balkan Studies (Greece) Centre for Strategic Research, Mac.Academy of Sciences and Arts (FYROM)

8. 18 April 2008 Basic information about the BCN Members: Diplomatic Academy (Romania) European Institute for Risk, Security and Communication Management (Romania) Institute for Political Studies of Defense and Military History (Romania) Romanian Association for International Law & International Relations (Romania) Belgrade Center of European Integration (Serbia) Institute of International Politics and Economics (Serbia) Center for Strategic Research, MFA (Turkey) Celebi Strategic Management Investment and Financial Consulting (Turkey) Eurasian Center of Strategic Studies (Turkey) Foundation for Middle East and the Balkan Studies (Turkey) Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation (Turkey)

9. 18 April 2008 Basic information about the BCN Membership - types of organisations: Think tanks and organisations associated to Ministries State research institutions Non-profit or private scientific research institutions Non-governmental organisations

10. 18 April 2008 Agenda for 2008 (provisional) Co-presidency of EKEM - ELIAMEP BCN Troika Coordination meeting in Athens (June 2008) Annual conference in Thessaloniki (October 2008): �The European Way: Prospects and challenges for cross-border cooperation in SE Europe� Focus areas: Energy, Migration, Economic Cooperation Conference concept: Forum as meeting point of top expertise and BCN knowledge and activism Participants: Top experts on focus areas (from the region and beyond) and representatives from BCN members Method: Expert presentations and debate among participants to reach conclusions on key issues

11. 18 April 2008 Failures BCN never really took off Communication and sharing of information component was maintained at the minimum More ambitious and interesting plans were not implemented (�Balkan Conflict Prevention, Crisis Management, and Peace-building Process�, �Balkan Wise Men/Women Group�, �Balkan Contact Group�)

12. 18 April 2008  Successes and best practices  Vision of advanced collaboration in the heart of national sovereignty and security Locally conceived and organised initiative Key initiators and core members from non-EU states BCN focus encompasses vision of both European and Euro-Atlantic integration or both democratisation and security Despite limitations communication and regular contact established and maintained No serious political obstacles (despite involvement of foreign policy institutions and �sensitive� focus area)

13. 18 April 2008 Problems encountered and lessons learned  - Membership too diverse, different scopes of work, objectives, methodologies, policy processes, relations to the state apparatus. Mixed type membership not necessarily a blessing, not easily manageable. If attempted there is a need for clear vision for roles and processes - Initial over-ambitious aims and scope proved too difficult to implement. Significant added value not yet achieved. Better not be too ambitious given security field and other problems encountered. - Loose structure (rotating presidency, no secretariat, decentralised financing) does not secure sustainability and continuity. Network rather than organisation but there is little that a diverse and geographically spread network can achieve without institutional structure.

14. 18 April 2008 Problems encountered and lessons learned  - Due to loose structure and lack of institutional mechanism there was a need for more active leadership. But this could not secured for a number of reasons (�sensitive� focus area, involvement of actors connected to the state, lack of commitment, �national pride�) - On the one hand membership diverse and on the other the BCN failed to attract many of the dynamic new civil society elements of the region. - Being entirely local in its conception and implementation the BCN suffers from lack of IC support that other initiatives enjoy in the region - In turn, lack of international support translates to lack of political clout (connection to the IC political option is empowering). Also not connected to IC goal means lack of practical political milestones. - Lack of cutting edge research and analysis.

15. 18 April 2008 Significance of the BCN  - Vision locally initiated and developed. Not driven by the IC agenda, not driven and transformed by available IC funding. Difference from much of the civil society activity in the region. - Network of organisations with access to policy makers and connected to the (problematic but actually existing) state structures. - Exemplifies actual SE Europe problems (e.g. political periphery, decline in academia and education/research, lack of political direction when IC not involved etc.)

16. 18 April 2008 Is it a Effective Networking?  The BCN, despite its limited scope and implementation problems, can be considered effective networking. A set of very different partners, including some from �sensitive� environments, are in frequent contact and have established a forum of annual exchange of ideas. A good level of familiarity and trust exists. Potential for further collaborative activity and schemes is there even if not as yet used.

17. 18 April 2008 Is it a Strategic Partnership?  Definition: Strategic partnership as a voluntary collaborative agreement between two or more parties in which all participants agree to work together to achieve a common purpose or undertake a specific task and to share risks, responsibilities, resources, competencies and benefits. Key prerequisites of partnership: Commitment Coordination Trust Communication quality Participation Problem solving capacities Effective leadership (individual or joint)

18. 18 April 2008 Do we need the BCN?What way forward?  Can we consider the minimal impact so far only the immature phase of the network to be followed by more and better activity? What is BCN�s comparative advantage in a maturing market of collaboration/coordination initiatives and a free market economy? (see for example Economist conferences) Do we need the BCN? Does its existence remains important? What is the recipe for rejuvenation? How to create strategic direction and effective leadership? How to connect with political milestones/goals?