The first session will look into Western and international institutional perspectives on South East Europe. It will consider the policies of neglect versus engagement and what the impact of such choices means for the region. It will test the propositions that the EU appears to be losing focus as a magnet, and that NATO has the appropriate policies in place in the fields of security and stability.  Finally, it will look at internal divergences within the EU, NATO and the wider western transatlantic partnership itself and what are the risks for the region’s engagement with the West.

Mirena Pencheva is an EU Visiting Fellow at St Antony's College, seconded from the Legal Service of the European Parliament. She is currently researching the impact of the recent terrorist attacks on EU soil on security cooperation and integration within wider Europe, with particular focus on the Western Balkans and the UK after Brexit. She has been working in the European Parliament for more than 10 years, in different roles and on a variety of subjects, with a particular focus in the last seven years on European police and judicial cooperation in criminal matters and terrorism. Mirena has a Master's in European Law from King's College London and a Master's in Law from Sofia University with specialisations in Administration of Justice and Public Administration.

Jaroslaw Wisniewski is an academic and political analyst with working experience from both private and public sectors. He holds an MA in international relations from the University of Wroclaw and MA in Politics, Security and Integration from the School of Slavonic and East European Studies, University College London. He holds a PhD in European Politics from King’s College London (2013). He worked as a consultant in the third sector and for the British Council, Council of Europe and the European Commission, including running or coordinating projects in South East Europe and South Caucasus (2003 - 2013). He has also interned at the Europe Programme, Chatham House (2008). His research interests include: politics in Central and South East Europe, energy security, security and defence, Russian foreign policy, UK politics and European civil society.