Ambassador Stefano Stefanini
Permanent Representative of Italy on the North Atlantic Council

Achieving Security and Prosperity in the Balkans and the
Black Sea Regions

Ambassador Stefano Stefanini
Permanent Representative of Italy on the North Atlantic Council

OPENING REMARKS

Let me first say before introducing the panel that the Balkans and the Black Sea regions are not a global security issue today. From a Euro-centric perspective and by European standards, both the Balkans and the Black Sea regions are not fully stable—some things are still unsettled, there are frozen conflicts, there is a search for identity—but these things certainly do not present a major security risk today. In 1990, we were confronted with a monumental task, which was the stabilization of what was then known as “Eastern Europe.” Twenty years later, the balance sheet is a good one, and we can say “Mission accomplished” regarding a large area that covers central and eastern Europe. Post-Soviet Russia has stabilized, largely by itself. The western Balkans and the Black Sea region remain a work in progress.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE REGIONS

After a tragic start in the Balkans, the goal there is at hand. If the western Balkans had a GPS, the GPS would say, “You have arrived, your destination is on your right.” The way ahead is quite clear: It is Euro-Atlantic integration, it is the EU, it is NATO, and it is largely accomplished if you look at the map. The Adriatic is almost a NATO lake now.
Yet we know that in the Black Sea region, the picture is much more frayed. If we took a quick snapshot of the western Balkans, we would see the EU’s and NATO’s dominating influence, with Russia practically marginal. But the Black Sea area is quite different, because the south and west rim are bordering with NATO and with the EU while in the northeast Russia is dominant. Another major difference between the two regions is that the Black Sea region is strategic for energy supplies, but although the western Balkans have an energy problem they are not strategic for the rest of Europe.

CONCLUDING REMARKS

With all of that said, I would like to ask a question of our speakers: Can the two regions, the Balkans and the Black Sea, help each other?