The EU and the US agree that the long-term goal for the Western Balkans is European integration. For a variety of reasons, however, progress on this goal has stalled. This series aims at launching a discussion on the hurdles to enlargement in the Western Balkans, the tools available to various international actors in the region, and how these resources might best be applied to reach the goal of integration most efficiently. These meetings, therefore, address issues that are at the core of the making the Transatlantic relationship work.

Fuat Keyman, Director, Istanbul Policy Center and Professor of International Relations, Sabanci University (Turkey)

The tension between unity and diversity is the leitmotif of European politics, and energy policies are no exception. Given the diversity of the continent’s geography and history, it is natural that some nations and regions may support one policy over another, and that a unified policy is difficult to achieve. Marcel Vietor attributed this not only to the attitudes and values that vary from country to country, but also to the fact that different countries have different energy resources and requirements.

Under the Santos administration, Colombia has pursued a new set of foreign policy priorities and is seeking to play a more active role in regional and international affairs. Minister Holguín discussed Colombia's changing political and economic relations with its closest neighbors and the rest of Latin America, the United States, Europe, and Asia.