Author | Lightnews

Iliriana Gjoni @ilirianagjoni.bsky.social · 11d

Looking forward to sharing the floor with 𝐆𝐞𝐫𝐭 𝐉𝐚𝐧 𝐊𝐨𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐚𝐧, Director-General for Neighbourhood & Enlargement Negotiations at the European Commission, and my colleagues 𝐑𝐨𝐬𝐚 𝐁𝐚𝐥𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐫 and 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐟𝐚𝐧 𝐋𝐞𝐡𝐧𝐞, Director and Senior Fellow at @carnegieeurope.bsky.social
🌍 Join us on #Nov6!

Carnegie Europe @carnegieeurope.bsky.social · 11d

🗓️ | Rethinking Integration to Accelerate EU Enlargement

On November 6, join Stefan Lehne, @rosabalfour.bsky.social, @ilirianagjoni.bsky.social, & Gert Jan Koopman to discuss #EUEnlargement and the challenges & opportunities of gradual integration.

Register 👉 carnegieendowment.org/events/2025/...

In Kosovo’s Elections, Serb Representation Is the West’s Fig Leaf

Iliriana Gjoni @ilirianagjoni.bsky.social · Oct 2

My latest piece on #Kosovo elections, with Donika Emini.

Carnegie Europe @carnegieeurope.bsky.social · Oct 2

Kosovo's local elections face the challenge of integrating Serb politics, dominated by a Belgrade-backed party tied to violence.

The vote will test Prishtina's sovereignty & the West's commitment to democratic standards, say Donika Emini & Iliriana Gjoni.
carnegieendowment.org/europe/strat...

Left without a functioning Assembly since February 2025, Kosovo’s febrile politics is due for another test. With options for representation of the Serb minority limited to Belgrade-backed proxies, Oct...

Notama pokorila Brodvej, analizama Brisel

Iliriana Gjoni @ilirianagjoni.bsky.social · Aug 4

#interview #montenegrin #vijesti
O tome kako se glas može čuti i kroz 🎼 klavir i kroz ✍️ analizu.
O 🌍 Balkanu, 🇪🇺 Evropi, i tihoj snazi 🎭 kulture u politici.

🙏 Hvala Samiru Adroviću na pažljivim pitanjima i prostoru da spojim oba svijeta.

www.vijesti.me/vijesti/kult...

Iliriana Gjoni je vjerovatno jedina osoba koja s jednakom strašću i preciznošću svira Šopena pred hiljadama ljudi i analizira evropske politike u srcu Brisela. U ...

www.vijesti.me

Borders and Belonging: A Balkan Trip Through European Identity

Iliriana Gjoni @ilirianagjoni.bsky.social · Jun 15

My latest essay for #EuropeanVoices is out!
A journey across music, visas & 🇪🇺 dreams — and what the #WesternBalkans might reveal about the future of #Europe.

👇 Read it here: Borders and Belonging
www.linkedin.com/pulse/border...

#EuropeanVoices #EUEnlargement #Identity #BalkansInEu

𝐴𝑛 𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑖𝑠𝑡’𝑠 𝑗𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑛𝑒𝑦 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑀𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑔𝑟𝑜 𝑡𝑜 𝐵𝑟𝑢𝑠𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑠 𝑟𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑎𝑙𝑠 ℎ𝑜𝑤 𝐸𝑢𝑟𝑜𝑝𝑒’𝑠 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑝ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑠 𝑚𝑎𝑦 ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑘𝑒𝑦 𝑡𝑜 𝑖𝑡𝑠 𝑓𝑢𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒. 𝐈𝐋𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐀𝐍𝐀 𝐆𝐉𝐎𝐍𝐈 The author is a research analyst focusing on EU enlargement and Western

www.linkedin.com

Iliriana Gjoni @ilirianagjoni.bsky.social · Jun 4

🌿 Honoured to receive a #VibekeSørensenGrant from the #EuropeanUniversityInstitute for a month-long research stay at the #HistoricalArchives of the #EU in Florence 🇮🇹 this autumn.
A prestigious award supporting archival work on European integration. More soon! ✨
#EUI #EUarchives #Florence

Iliriana Gjoni @ilirianagjoni.bsky.social · Jun 2

🎻 The day after Tuz, we played in #Ulqin/#Ulcinj — my hometown — where music met memory.
Among familiar faces, with #BledarZajmi & #SenadGačević beside me,
we shared a night of cello, piano, and soul.
A tradition continued, a spirit revived.
📸: Allmir Suka

Iliriana Gjoni @ilirianagjoni.bsky.social · May 31

🎶 On May 28 in Tuz 🇲🇪, I performed in concert with #BledarZajmi, solo cellist of #PragueOpera.
By the River Cem, we played world, #Albanian & #Montenegrin works — including by #Gačević, who was with us in the audience.
A night of beauty, belonging & #CulturalDiplomacy.
#WesternBalkans #ClassicalMusic

Overcoming Inertia in Kosovo

Reposted by Iliriana Gjoni

Carnegie Europe @carnegieeurope.bsky.social · May 23

Kosovo faces hurdles on its EU path.

To move forward, Prishtina must revive its dialogue with Belgrade, write @dimitarbechev.bsky.social, @ilirianagjoni.bsky.social, Lukáš Macek, @milanninberlin.bsky.social, @nikoxw.bsky.social, and @wouterzweers.bsky.social.

carnegieendowment.org/research/202...

Kosovo continues to face significant obstacles on its path to EU membership. To move forward, Prishtina must revive its dialogue with Belgrade, while the union should provide a clear road map for easi...

Montenegro’s Gulf Deal: A Strategic Lesson for the EU

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Iliriana Gjoni @ilirianagjoni.bsky.social · May 22

🎶 Honoured to open the #Carnegie Board meeting in Brussels with Debussy’s Clair de Lune—a quiet call for peace through nuance, not force.🌙
💬 Estonia’s FM @Tsahkna : To end the war, #Russia must face consistent pressure.
🌍 #CarnegieEndow - a global force for rules-based order.

Iliriana Gjoni @ilirianagjoni.bsky.social · May 20

As #Montenegro debates a #UAE deal today, the #EU faces a test.
Will it offer more than silence as others reshape its neighbourhood?
#Ulcinj/#Ulqin could be a pilot for real EU engagement, before accession.
“Displacement can arrive in the shape of a beachfront villa.”
More in my #CarnegieEurope blog

Carnegie Europe @carnegieeurope.bsky.social · May 20

The agreement allowing the UAE to invest in Montenegro's coastline has sparked local protests.

The EU should use this opportunity to rethink its enlargement strategy & step in with alternative investments promoting EU values, says @ilirianagjoni.bsky.social.

carnegieendowment.org/europe/strat...

The agreement allowing the UAE to invest in Montenegro’s coastline has triggered local protests. The EU must rethink how it engages with enlargement, and step in with alternative investments that prom...

Serbian protestiliike ei osoita hyytymisen merkkejä presidentti väittää ulkovaltojen juoneksi - Suomenmaa.fi

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Iliriana Gjoni @ilirianagjoni.bsky.social · Apr 17

Honored to be interviewed by #Finland’s oldest news agency #STT (est. 1887) on the ongoing #protests in #Serbia.
Citizens, especially students, demand truth & accountability as state narratives try to discredit them.
#WesternBalkans #Serbia

www.suomenmaa.fi/uutiset/serb...

Huhtikuun alussa 1 400 kilometrin pyöräretkelle lähtenee serbialaiset opiskelijat saapuivat tällä viikolla Ranskan Strasbourgiin....

www.suomenmaa.fi

Iliriana Gjoni @ilirianagjoni.bsky.social · Apr 11

🎭 What’s missing? #Culture.
Real connection. Shared identity.
Cultural exchange isn’t a “nice extra” — it’s infrastructure for belonging.
If we want a united Europe, we need to start integrating minds, not just markets.
#WesternBalkans #EUElargement #FutureOfEurope

Iliriana Gjoni @ilirianagjoni.bsky.social · Apr 11

🕵️‍♂️ Foreign powers like Russia, China & the #Gulfstates are stepping into the gaps with opaque investments and elite-level deals.
No public tenders. No accountability.
This undermines EU values and weakens democratic foundations—before countries even join.

Iliriana Gjoni @ilirianagjoni.bsky.social · Apr 11

Far-right voices—both in the EU and the Western Balkans—gain ground when enlargement feels #inconsistent or #slow.
But not all nationalism is the same. Smaller nations need space for cultural self-preservation without being painted as threats.
The EU must make that distinction.

Iliriana Gjoni @ilirianagjoni.bsky.social · Apr 11

On Apr 8 I spoke at the #FEPS conference on #EUenlargement, in the session “Progressive Enlargement Under Pressure.”
We looked at how #nationalism, #far-right movements & #external actors are reshaping the future of EU enlargement.
Here are my 3 key points 🧵:

Reposted by Iliriana Gjoni

FEPS Europe @feps-europe.eu · Apr 8

The future of #Enlargement is being affected by the shift to the (far) right.

“A common new chapter for #EUEnlargement” gathered experts & policymakers to discuss:

👉 candidate countries' socio-economic development
👉 young people
👉 role of nationalist & far-right forces

➡️ bit.ly/NewChapterEU...

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Iliriana Gjoni @ilirianagjoni.bsky.social · Feb 25

Më ndiqni në #EuronewsAlbania për analizën mbi rezultatet e zgjedhjeve në #Gjermani dhe ndikimin e tyre në #Europë dhe botë. Çfarë do të thotë kjo për të ardhmen e BE-së dhe ekuilibrat globalë?
Link: youtu.be/tUxCBAu-svM?...

Iliriana Gjoni @ilirianagjoni.bsky.social · Feb 21

On May 28, I’ll be in Tuz, #Montenegro, with the Prague Opera's solo-cellist, Bledar Zajmi! 🎶✨ Excited to perform for the first time in my mom's hometown, honoring my #Malësia roots. A program blending classical masterpieces with #Albanian & Montenegrin music. Can’t wait! 🇦🇱🇲🇪

Iliriana Gjoni @ilirianagjoni.bsky.social · Feb 14

Some loves are forever. #myvalentine

Iliriana Gjoni @EU Parliament - "Aiming Higher: Overcoming Challenges on the Road to EU Enlargement"

Iliriana Gjoni @ilirianagjoni.bsky.social · Feb 7

🇪🇺 Pleasure to speak at the #EuropeanParliament on #EUenlargement!
🎯 Key takeaways:
🔄 Circular labor migration – EU to invest in retaining & reintegrating Balkan talent.
💡 Be bold – EU to stand firmly for democracy & rule of law.
🤝 More EU-Balkan exchanges – at all levels!

youtu.be/PcgaALEiiT8?...

YouTube video by Iliriana Gjoni

youtu.be

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Iliriana Gjoni @ilirianagjoni.bsky.social · Feb 5

Moj zadnji clanak za #StrategicEurope, blog prestiznog instituta @carnegieeurope.bsky.social sada mozete procitati i na #crnogorskom.

"𝑩𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒆𝒍 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒂 𝒅𝒂 𝒐𝒅𝒍𝒖𝒄̌𝒊 𝒅𝒂 𝒍𝒊 𝒄́𝒆 𝒏𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒕𝒊 𝒅𝒂 𝒑𝒐𝒅𝒓𝒛̌𝒂𝒗𝒂 𝑽𝒖𝒄̌𝒊𝒄́𝒂, 𝒖𝒑𝒓𝒌𝒐𝒔 𝒑𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒊𝒋𝒂𝒍𝒏𝒊𝒎 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒍𝒋𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒎𝒂 𝒑𝒐 𝑲𝒐𝒔𝒐𝒗𝒐 𝒊 𝑪𝒓𝒏𝒖 𝑮𝒐𝒓𝒖"

www.vijesti.me/svijet/balka...

Zašto EU mora da promijeni odnos prema Srbiji

Brisel mora da odluči da li će nastaviti da podržava Vučića, uprkos potencijalnim posljedicama po Kosovo i Crnu Goru. To je izbor između nastavka politike stabilitokratije ...

www.vijesti.me

Why the EU Must Change Course on Serbia

Iliriana Gjoni @ilirianagjoni.bsky.social · Feb 4

By refusing to apply pressure on #Vučić, the #EU is emboldening the #Serbian government. If #Brussels is serious about supporting #democracy in the #WesternBalkans, it must empower the Serbian people—not their #authoritarian rulers.
Read my analysis for #CarnegieEurope's Strategic Europe blog here:

By refusing to apply pressure on President Vučić, the EU is emboldening the Serbian government. If Brussels is serious about supporting democracy in the Western Balkans, it must empower the Serbian pe...

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Iliriana Gjoni @ilirianagjoni.bsky.social · Jan 29

Very happy to be part of this impressive #panel at the #EUparliament next week!
Among #MEPs and #experts from the #EU institutions and #CivilSociety.
Let's go, #EUenlargement! 💪