Henkel, Reinhard (Hrsg.)
South Eastern European countries on their way to Europe – geographical aspects
Leipzig 2006. 240 S.
(forum ifl; 5)
ISBN 3-86082-057-5
Under the theme "South Eastern European countries on their way to Europe – geographical aspects", a conference for geographers from South Eastern Europe, Germany and Austria was held in Dubrovnik (Croatia) from September 27 to October 1, 2004. It was organized by the Department of Geography, University of Zagreb (Croatia), and sponsored by funds from the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe through Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD, German Academic Exchange Service).
Nine scientific sessions were held on the themes
- The perception of "South Eastern Europe" and "the Balkans" from inside and outside
- South Eastern Europe as a part of Europe
- Border regions – present and future
- Regionalization and regional development
- Issues of sustainable development
- Urban areas in transition and
- Migration and Tourism
Furthermore, sessions were held on
- Scientific cooperation in the field of geography between Germany and South Eastern Europe - The Bologna process and its effects on geography as a university discipline in South Eastern Europe
Altogether, 34 papers were presented and intensively discussed by the 39 participants from 28 universities, Academies of Sciences and research institutes in Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Germany, Hungary, Macedonia, Moldova, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro and Slovenia. At the end of the conference, a Round Table on "Starting a geographical research and teaching network between academic institutions in South Eastern Europe and Germany" resulted in a number of proposals on further cooperation between the institutions involved. Since the Dubrovnik conference, a long-term research and teaching network of geographical institutions in South Eastern Europe, Germany and Austria has been established.
Dubrovnik, the medieval Ragusa, was a very appropriate place to meet for a conference on this topic. It is situated at the boundary between Eastern (Byzantine) and Western (Roman) Europe, and as such has served as a link between these two parts of the continent. From the 14th to the early 19th century, it was an independent city republic. Due to its many trade links, it attained considerable wealth which reached its peak in the 15th and 16th centuries. Even during the subsequent time, it managed to remain independent between Venice, the Ottoman Empire and Austria-Hungary until it became, after the Congress of Vienna in 1815, part of the Habsburg Monarchy together with the rest of Dalmatia.
Major events have happened in the recent past that affected the lives of people in South Eastern Europe. Sixteen years have passed since the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Dayton Agreement which ended the Bosnian War was signed in 1995, and six years only have passed that the Kosovo War ended. More recently, Hungary and Slovenia joined the European Union in 2004. Bulgaria and Romania expect to become members in 2007, Croatia as a candidate country has started accession negations, and Macedonia has applied for EU membership. Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as Serbia and Montenegro are preparing for EU membership, too.
Many of these processes are relevant to the study of geography. So far, geographers in South Eastern Europe as well as in Europe at large have paid relatively little attention in their research and in their teaching to many of these developments. For the SEE countries, this can partly be explained by the fact that normalization of life after the end of Communism and after the "Yugoslav wars" took and still takes time. But geography with its various facets can and will play a role in the future. The conference was an attempt to show this, and to bring geographers working on and interested in similar or related issues together.
This publication includes a selection of the papers presented at the conference. Financial support by DAAD and the pleasant cooperation with the editors of the series are gratefully acknowledged.
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