As a leading representative of both the Committee for Humanitarian Intervention (CHI) and the Network of Sustainable Devlopment and Education (NSDE), I will help to organise the following event:
Urgency & Opportunity Meet on the EU Enlargement Debate in The Hague, 26 February 2026
The Democracy Drinks series in The Hague (democracydrinks.org/the-hague) is coordinated by The Hague Humanity Hub (THHH), the Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy (NIMD) and the Netherlands Helsinki Committee (NHC)
The Democracy Drinks series in The Hague (Topic: How should the EU, the Netherlands and other EU member states improve and speed up EU enlargement to the Western Balkans and beyond?
Location: The Hague Humanity Hub, Fluwelen Burgwal 58, 2511 CJ, The Hague
Date & Time: Thursday 26 February 2026, 17:00 – 19:00 pm
Registration: #DemocracyDrinks: Urgency and Opportunity Meet in the EU Enlargement Debate
Join us on for this year’s first edition of #DemocracyDrinks The Hague, where we will be joined by:
- Marko Makovec, seasoned Slovenian diplomat, former Head of Cabinet for the EU’s Enlargement Commissioner; leading authority on the complexities of enlargement within the European Union.
- Thijs Reuten, Dutch MEP; leading advocate against democratic backsliding in the EU and beyond.
Marko Makovec is a Slovenian diplomat and a leading authority on the complexities of EU enlargement. Most recently, he served as the Head of Cabinet for Ms. Marta Kos, the Commissioner for Enlargement. Prior to this, he was the highest-ranking Slovene at the European External Action Service (EEAS), as Deputy Managing Director for Managing Directorate Europe. In this capacity, he expertly oversaw relations with the United Kingdom, European Economic Area, Turkey, and the Western Balkans from 2021 to 2024. He earlier represented Slovenia with distinction as the Permanent Representative to the EU’s Political and Security Committee (2017-2020). He served as Diplomatic Adviser to the Slovenian President (2013-2017), and as Principal Foreign Policy Adviser to the Prime Minister (2008-2012), acting as chief negotiator for the Arbitration Agreement between Slovenia and Croatia. His illustrious career began with his foundational work as an Adviser to the Director-General (2003-2005),as a Delegate to the Working Party for Western Balkans in the EU (2007-2008), and as Deputy Head of Mission in Rome.
Thijs Reuten is a Dutch Member of the European Parliament that has, since 2021, served on the Committee of Foreign Affairs, Delegation to the EU-North Macedonia Joint Parliamentary Committee, and the Delegation to the EU-Serbia Stabilisation and Association Parliamentary Committee, among others. He played a pivotal role in normalising visa-free travel between Kosovo and the EU, and has been a leading advocate against democratic backsliding in the EU and its neighbourhood. Reuten has a background in political science and international relations, and has previously served as an Amsterdam City Councilor, and a District Administrator for Amsterdam-Oost.
Western Balkans symposia series
Since 2024, four symposia on the Western Balkans vis-à-vis esp. the EU have been organised in Utrecht, Amsterdam and Leiden by PAX, Free Press Unlimited, Dutch Albanian Foundation, Netherlands Helsinki Committee, Max van der Stoel Foundation and Committee for Humanitarian Intervention. Topics have ranged from EU enlargement and the extent of democracy, peace, justice and independent media in the ‘oft-neglected region’ of the Western Balkans. Speakers have ranged from Tamara Filipovic of the Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia to Robert Bosch, former Dutch ambassador to Albania and Kosovo. The primary aims of this symposia series are to: a) keep attention on the situation and future of this region among policymakers and wider public; b) enhance insights on this region to everybody involved and interested; c) offer solutions to challenges of peace, democracy, justice and civil society in that region by and for policymakers, experts and everybody involved–preferably via EU principles and memberships.
Contacts: Mr. Kido Koenig (kkoenig@foundationmaxvanderstoel.nl)
Mr. Caspar ten Dam (c.tendam@nsdefoundation.org) Tel./Signal: +31 (0)6 21353957
Ms. Barclay Wijnbergen (barclay.Wijnbergen@humanityhub.org) Tel./WhatsApp: +31 (0)6 13738850