Publications

“Frieden bauen heißt weit bauen”

Author: Ulrike Lunacek
Publisher: Wieser Verlag, Klagenfurt
Content: 310 pages
ISBN: 9783990293041
Year: 2018

Von Brüssel ins Amselfeld und retour: Mein Beitrag zu Kosovos/Kosovas Weg in die EU (From Brussels to Amselfeld (Kosovo Field) and back: my contribution to Kosovo’s/Kosova’s path to the EU)

The Republic of Kosovo/Kosova celebrated the tenth anniversary of its independence on 17 February 2018 – a good moment for Ulrike Lunacek, a Kosovo rapporteur to the European Parliament for many years, to take stock. This book gives a clear picture of the Kosovar population’s hopes of living in a “normal” state, of policy achievements, and of the mistakes and failures, for example as a result of a lack of political will.

This book talks openly about how much the EU – Parliament, Commission and Council – has already contributed to establishing an independent state of Kosovo/Kosova, about the successes but also the failures – such as the non-recognition by five Member States. It gives a clear picture of Serbia’s ambivalent attitude, which despite progress is only half-heartedly removing obstacles standing in the way of good neighbourly relations with Kosovo/Kosova. And it also spans a range of topics from politics to Kosovar citizens, who are ultimately the intended beneficiaries of the EU’s enlargement policy.

Lunacek’s book also provides a central statement of European enlargement policy: in Kosovo/Kosova, the EU must, can and should demonstrate once again the assertiveness of its peace policy and soft power, because the EU’s peace project will not be completed on this part of the continent until it has included all successor states of Yugoslavia as well as Albania.

This publication is available at ERSTE Foundation Library.

Florian Bauer

Director Social Finance, Sustainability and Innovation
Since 2023, Florian Bauer has been responsible for social finance, sustainability and social innovation at ERSTE Foundation. Prior to this role, Florian worked in the NGO & Social Entrepreneurship sector for more than 13 years. He led the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP), an international multilateral NGO that works to accelerate market-based deployment of renewable energy and energy efficient systems in developing countries, and was Managing Director & COO of the Impact Hub Vienna. From 2020-2023, Florian established strategic alliances with key partners and helped to create innovative semantic technology solutions at Semantic Web Company (SWC), a leading IT company in semantic AI solutions.