The different ways in which members of the European Union have interacted with Kosovo since it declared independence in 2008 is the main focus of the edited volume 'The Politics of Recognition and Engagement EU Member State Relations with Kosovo'.
While there is a tendency to think of EU states in terms of two distinct groups – those that have recognised Kosovo and those that have not – the picture is more complex. Taking into account also the quality and scope of their engagement with Kosovo, there are four broad categories of member states that can be distinguished: the strong and weak recognisers and the soft and hard non-recognisers. In addition to casting valuable light on the relations between various EU members and Kosovo, this book also makes an important contribution to the way in which the concepts of recognition and engagement, and their relationship to each other, are understood in academic circles and by policy makers. To mark the launch of the book, the editors Dr Ioannis Armakolas and Professor James Ker-Lindsay were joined by two of the book contributors and a leading analyst from Kosovo to discuss the volume’s findings.
Ioannis Armakolas is Assistant Professor at the Department of Balkan, Slavic and Oriental Studies, University of Macedonia, and Senior Research Fellow and Head of the South-East Europe Programme at the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP), Greece.
Agon Demjaha is Associate Professor at Tetovo University and also teaches at the South East European University in Skopje. During 2006-2010, he served as the Ambassador of the Republic of North Macedonia to the Kingdom of Sweden. He has also been engaged as an advisor to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kosovo.
Julia Himmrich holds a PhD from LSE where she has held teaching and research positions including being a Research Associate at LSE IDEAS in the third Dahrendorf cycle (2015-16). After her doctorate she was the Research Fellow on European defence at the European Leadership Network (ELN) and taught on European and German Foreign Policy at King’s College London. Her wider research interest lies in European foreign and security policy, particularly in regards to enlargement and conflict settlement.
Florian Qehaja is the Chair of the Board of Kosovar Centre for Security Studies (KCSS). He is the author of several scientific and policy publications in the security field. He serves as an international consultant on security issues cooperating with leading international governmental and non-governmental organisations. He is currently member of Royal College of Defence Studies in London.
Jaroslaw Wisniewski is a Former Visiting Fellow, LSEE. He is an academic and political analyst with working experience from both private and public sectors. He previously worked at the Polish Embassy in London at at the Polish Institute of Foreign Affairs.
James Ker-Lindsay is Visiting Professor at LSEE. His research focuses on conflict, peace and security in South East Europe (Western Balkans, Greece, Turkey and Cyprus), European Union enlargement, and secession and recognition in international politics.
The twitter Hashtag for this event is: #LSEKosovo
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