DLR Projektträger develops future trends for the Western Balkans
22nd June 2022 — Will the Western Balkans launch an education offensive by 2035? Will the region form an economic "solar union" with China? Or will the population take to the streets in pro-European protest movements in the capitals of the Western Balkans in 2035? These and other possible futures were developed by the participants of this year's Leadership Seminar for Security Policy at the BAKS, the Federal Academy for Security Policy.
Interactive workshop of the DLR Projektträger
At the seminar, which took place at the invitation of the head of the Federal Chancellery, DLR Projektträger organised an interactive workshop on strategic foresight for the first time. Together with high-ranking executives from politics, administration, business, science and social organisations, DLR Projektträger experts Dr Simone Weske and Dr Ulrike Kunze discussed possible development perspectives for the Western Balkans.
The future begins today
The aim of the interactive workshop was to familiarise the participants with the method of strategic foresight and to illustrate its concrete benefits with practical examples. Simone Weske began by presenting key results of the study "Strategic Foresight in the Western Balkans: Recovery on the Horizon", which DLR Projektträger coordinated and co-authored on behalf of the European Commission. Ulrike Kunze added current relevant trend developments in the region. Afterwards, the executives were given the opportunity to identify drivers and trends themselves under the methodological guidance of the DLR Projektträger experts and to discuss possible implications for the future of the Western Balkans. Both succeeded very quickly thanks to the diverse perspectives of the participants.
Foresight methods hold strategic potential that is not yet fully exploited by all organisations, companies and ministries. As DLR Projektträger, we support the design and implementation of foresight processes.
Impact on the European security architecture
This year, security policy issues in Germany's cooperation with the Western Balkans are the focus of the three-week BAKS leadership seminar. The programme offers a highly exclusive forum for the exchange of experiences and opinions across departmental, disciplinary and sectoral boundaries. In the first part of the seminar in Berlin, the participants work out possibilities for political action with a focus on various interests of European states, international organisations and civil society groups. After Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited the region on the 10th and 11th June, the leaders travelled to Sarajevo, Belgrade, Skopje and Pristina in the second half of June 2022 to exchange views with government representatives, among others. Finally, possible strategies and positions of the German government will be discussed with decision-makers in the Federal Chancellery.
Methodological competence – strategic foresight at DLR Projektträger
Being able to predict the future is a dream of humankind. DLR Projektträger uses the method of "strategic foresight" to approach this goal – it develops future scenarios that provide a sound basis for long-term decisions and thus help to master pressing challenges. Finding answers to future questions requires the know-how and creativity of numerous experts. DLR Projektträger contributes the methodological skills, regional expertise and a wealth of specialist knowledge from its departments to strategic foresight processes. With more than 400 partners in around 130 countries, DLR Projektträger has long-standing contacts to involve the best minds worldwide in the development of future scenarios. In the network of the Association of Professional Futurists, which promotes strategic futures research and studies, DLR Projektträger also shares information on trends with experts from Australia, the USA, Finland, the United Kingdom and other countries, and jointly develops the "toolbox" for strategic foresight.