Elmedin Konaković

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina

About Speaker

Mr. Konaković was born in Sarajevo in 1974. He obtained a Master of Arts degree in Sports Management from the University of Sarajevo, Faculty of Sport and Physical Education. Mr. Konaković is fluent in English, Italian and Romanian.   Professional career in sports: As a professional basketball player he performed in Bosnia and Herzegovina and abroad. He was a player and team captain of the „Bosna“ Basketball Club from Sarajevo and continued his international sports career performing for clubs from Slovenia, Italy, Hungary and Romania. In 2002, he was appointed manager of the Bosnia and Herzegovina Men National Basketball Team and between 2003 and 2007 he managed the „Bosna“ Basketball Club. From 2013 to 2016 Mr. Konaković was president of the Management Board of the Basketball Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Political career: Mr. Konaković became politically engaged in 2004. He was elected in the Municipal Council of the Centar Sarajevo Municipality. In the period 2010 to 2014 he was elected representative in the Sarajevo Canton Assembly. In the period from 2018 to 2022 he was both - Sarajevo Canton Assembly representative (Chairman of the Assembly) and a delegate in the House of Peoples, Parliament of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.  Between 2015 and 2018, Mr Konaković served as the Prime Minister of the Canton Sarajevo. In 2018 he founded the political party People and Justice (Narod i Pravda) and was elected as the Party President at the Founding Assembly in March 2018. His mandate was confirmed in November 2021 at the Party's First Congress. At the General Elections 2022 in Bosnia and Herzegovina he was elected to the House of Representatives of the Parliament of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Mr. Konaković assumed the office of Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina on January, 26 2023. He is married and a father of two daughters.

Speaker

Beyond the Waiting Room: Rethinking EU Enlargement

EU enlargement is increasingly a strategic tool shaped by politics, security, and governance. Full EU membership for most candidate countries is unlikely in the near future, but gradual or staged integration offers a way to achieve meaningful progress while maintaining EU standards. Linking benefits such as Single Market access or EU funding to measurable reforms create both incentives and safeguards, but raises difficult questions about timing, institutional capacity, and political cohesion. These trade-offs frame the key challenges for both candidate countries and EU members in navigating the next phase of enlargement.
  • How can staged integration deliver meaningful progress for candidate countries without immediate full membership?
  • What institutional or treaty reforms are needed to make enlargement more predictable and reduce veto obstacles? • How can the EU link benefits to reforms while maintaining flexibility and safeguards? • How can enlargement strengthen European security and resilience, especially in relation to Russia? • What are the main risks and opportunities for EU cohesion, Single Market governance, and fiscal stability?

Livestream Link:  https://youtube.com/live/PVKOt1TqlFs?feature=share
Panel Session
Saturday, 23. 5. 2026
09:50–10:40 CEST
Havel Stage