Download or read book The Impact of the Crisis on the EU Perspective of the Western Balkans written by Rumiana Jeleva and published by Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies. This book was released on 2012-04-29 with total page 129 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Please find a free PDF download available here: http://martenscentre.eu/publications/impact-crisis-eu-perspective-western-balkans Like elsewhere in Europe, the crisis has affected economic developments in the Western Balkans, from Croatia in the north to Albania in the south. The countries in the region face difficulties such as high unemployment, decreased availability of bank credit and reduced trade. Furthermore, the inability of their political institutions to deal immediately with these economic challenges has reinforced the negative effects of the crisis. What does this mean for the Western BalkansÕ accession to and integration within the EU? This paper by Rumiana Jeleva shows that improving the economic situation is an essential precondition for public support for EU integration. At the same time it argues that the pro-European orientation of the Western Balkans ensures that they will continue to look towards the EU, rather than to the US or Russia. This is demonstrated by the fact that they are not merely taking measures to recover from the crisis: they are taking measures that are aligned with European regulations. The Western Balkan countries may have a long way to go to become EU members, but they have proven their commitment to a future within the EU by their pro-European solutions to the crisis. This makes it all the more important for the EU, even in this time of crisis, to continue to support the accession process and bring the Western Balkans closer to the EU.
Download or read book The Impact of the Economic Crisis on the Western Balkans and Their EU Accession Prospects written by Ritsa A. Panagiotou and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page 17 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The European Union's enlargement towards the Western Balkans may be facing its most difficult challenge since its launch in Zagreb in 2000. The prospect of Balkan enlargement has been hard-hit by the deterioration of the European economy, and particularly the Greek sovereign debt crisis. The countries of the region have been deeply affected by the shock waves emanating from the Greek and eurozone crises: the negative repercussions include a deterioration of their economies, their prospects for growth, their capacity for reform, their social, political and institutional structures, and their ability to fulfill the accession criteria. Crucially, the EU's hitherto undisputable symbolic role as an "anchor" of stability, as a one-way path to prosperity and as a goal to be aspired to, may be losing its credibility and appeal for some of these countries."--Editor.
Download or read book The Europeanisation of the Western Balkans written by Jelena Džankić and published by Springer. This book was released on 2018-09-21 with total page 262 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume casts a fresh look on how the political spaces of the Western Balkan states (Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Macedonia and Albania) are shaped, governed and transformed during the EU accession process. The contributors argue that EU conditionality in the Western Balkans does not work ‘effectively’ in terms of social change because rule transfer remains a ‘contested’ business, due to veto-players on the ground and strong legacies of the past. The volume examines specific policy areas, salient in the enlargement process and to a different degree incorporated in the accession criteria, as well as EU foreign policy in the spheres of post-conflict stabilisation, democratization and the rule of law promotion.
Download or read book The EU and Member State Building written by Soeren Keil and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2014-12-05 with total page 264 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book critically examines the process of statebuilding by the EU, focusing on its attempts to build Member States in the Western Balkan region. This book analyses the European Union's policies towards, and the impact they have, upon the states of the Western Balkans, and assesses how these affect the nature of EU foreign policy. To this end, it focuses on the tools and mechanisms that the EU employs in its enlargement policy and examines the new instruments of direct intervention (in Bosnia and Kosovo), political coercion (in the case of Croatia and Serbia in relation to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia), and stricter conditionality in the Western Balkan countries. The book discusses the key aim of this special form of statebuilding, which is to establish functional liberal-democratic states in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia in order for them to join the EU and to cope with the responsibilities and pressures of membership in the future. However, the authors argue that while the EU sees itself as an international actor that promotes and protects liberal-democratic values, norms and principles, its experiences in the Western Balkans demonstrate how the EU ́s actions in the region have undermined the basic principles of democratic decision-making (such as the European support for impositions in Bosnia) and international law (Kosovo), and have consequently contributed to new tensions (see police reform in Bosnia, and the tensions between Kosovo and Serbia) and dependencies. This book will be of much interest to students of statebuilding, EU politics, global governance and IR/Security Studies in general.
Download or read book EU Enlargement and its Impact to the Western Balkans written by Elton Tota and published by Logos Verlag Berlin GmbH. This book was released on 2019-08-21 with total page 195 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The aim of this book is to highlight the relationship between the EU and the Western Balkan countries in light of their EU membership perspective and the impact that the EU Enlargement of Central and Eastern European countries at the beginning of the twenty first century has given to the Western Balkans. The book presents, in depth, the dual relationship between the EU and the Western Balkans. On the one hand it displays the continuous EU role in the Western Balkans, in particular in issues such as: the EU accession criteria; the EU approach and enlargement strategy; the visa liberalization process; the Stabilization and Association Process; the Stabilization and Association Agreements; instruments of financial assistance; the EU role in restoring and keeping peace and stability and in increasing the regional cooperation among the Western Balkans countries. On the other hand, it presents and analyses the progress the Western Balkans have achieved and the challenges faced such as: initially with the implementation of the bilateral Free Trade Agreements and then the regional Free Trade Agreement and the Stabilization and Association Agreements; nature and effects of these agreements in developing markets, in increasing trade exchanges among the Western Balkans countries; the progress each country has made toward lasting growth and in fulfilling the criteria of the EU integration process. The book reflects the regional approach of EU towards those countries while differentiating the individual progress in each country. This gives the book an interdisciplinary character. The latest enlargement experiences of the EU are used as a comparison for the current EU policy towards Western Balkans, while confirming a clear integration perspective for the region.
Download or read book The National Politics of EU Enlargement in the Western Balkans written by James Ker-Lindsay and published by . This book was released on 2019-11-26 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The National Politics of EU Enlargement in the Western Balkans examines the way in which a number of European Union member states, including Germany and France, formulate their policies towards enlargement in the Western Balkans. The six countries of the Western Balkans - Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia - are on course to become the next members of the European Union. While there has been a lot of work on the ways in which these countries are preparing for accession, and how the EU as a whole approaches the question of expansion, very little attention has been paid to how individual EU member states regard enlargement into a region that presents a number of serious challenges, including the legacies of the conflicts of the 1990s, economic underdevelopment and poor governance. Focusing on key states, such as Germany, France and Italy, the neighbouring countries of Central and South East Europe, and Britain, once a leading advocate of enlargement that is now in the process of leaving the European Union, this volume casts important new empirical and conceptual light on the diverse motivations that underpin member state attitudes towards EU enlargement. The National Politics of EU Enlargement in the Western Balkans will be of great interest to scholars of the European Union, European politics, and the politics of the Western Balkans. The chapters were originally published as a special issue of Southeast European and Black Sea Studies.
Download or read book Viva la Transici n written by Christophe Solioz and published by Nomos Verlag. This book was released on 2020-11-19 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In einem Europa, das von Entdemokratisierung und Entsolidarisierung geprägt ist, zeigt der Autor Wege der Transition auf: hin zu einem starken und polymorphen Europa mit ausgeprägten und demokratisch organisierten Institutionen. Ausgangspunkt der Analyse sind der Zusammenbruch des Warschauer Paktes und die Transitionsprozesse in Mittel- und Osteuropa. In drei großen Teilen werden Begrifflichkeiten geklärt und das Verhältnis der mittel- und osteuropäischen untereinander analysiert sowie Bruch und Annäherung von Ost und West anschaulich dargestellt. Zunächst wird in Teil I die Phase nach dem Fall der Berliner Mauer bis zum Jahr 2008 mit all ihren Paradoxien und Annäherungsprozessen nachgezeichnet, bevor sich anschließend ab 2008/09 die Phase der großen Krisen (Teil II) andeutet. In Teil III wird ein kleiner Ausblick gewagt, der trotz Corona bedenkenswert ist.
Download or read book A European Perspective for the Western Balkans written by Hubert Isak and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Analyses the status quo of the process of integration of the Western Balkan countries in the European Union.
Download or read book Integrating the Western Balkans into the EU written by Milica Uvalić and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2023-07-25 with total page 462 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Among the main stumbling blocks of European Union-Western Balkan integration are the differences in perceptions on both sides. Today, the gap between what the Western Balkan politicians and citizens think about the European Union and what the politicians and citizens in the EU member states think about the Western Balkans is probably wider than ever. This volume offers fresh insights about these misperceptions and how to possibly bridge the gap. It examines perceptions about the region’s “European perspectives” both on the side of the six Western Balkan countries - Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia – and the key European Union member states (Italy, Germany, Croatia), international donors, USA. An analysis of the diverse views regarding the prospects of EU – Western Balkan integration is today highly relevant, in view of the current uncertainties regarding European Union’s enlargement policy, particularly after the attack of Russia on Ukraine and candidate status granted to Ukraine and Moldova.
Download or read book The National Politics of EU Enlargement in the Western Balkans written by James Ker-Lindsay and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2020-05-21 with total page 152 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The National Politics of EU Enlargement in the Western Balkans examines the way in which a number of European Union member states, including Germany and France, formulate their policies towards enlargement in the Western Balkans. The six countries of the Western Balkans – Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia – are on course to become the next members of the European Union. While there has been a lot of work on the ways in which these countries are preparing for accession, and how the EU as a whole approaches the question of expansion, very little attention has been paid to how individual EU member states regard enlargement into a region that presents a number of serious challenges, including the legacies of the conflicts of the 1990s, economic underdevelopment and poor governance. Focusing on key states, such as Germany, France and Italy, the neighbouring countries of Central and South East Europe, and Britain, once a leading advocate of enlargement that is now in the process of leaving the European Union, this volume casts important new empirical and conceptual light on the diverse motivations that underpin member state attitudes towards EU enlargement. The National Politics of EU Enlargement in the Western Balkans will be of great interest to scholars of the European Union, European politics, and the politics of the Western Balkans. The chapters were originally published as a special issue of Southeast European and Black Sea Studies.
Download or read book The Western Balkans in the World written by Florian Bieber and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2019-06-26 with total page 265 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides a detailed understanding of how different types of engagements impact upon the reform and EU integration of the Western Balkan region. It examines the influence of Russia, China, Turkey and the UAE in the region and analyses the range of existing links. Contributors offer an academic and multifaceted perspective of the role of external and non-Western actors in the region that goes beyond, on the one hand, the tendency of some Western decision makers to perceive all engagement by third powers as a sinister threat and, on the other, the view of regional governments of all external involvement as a boon coming at a time of Western neglect and reduced foreign investments. By looking at the importance of Russia, Turkey, China and the UAE in the Western Balkans, the book sheds light on one key arena of global competition, offers new insights on the strengths and weaknesses of Euro–Atlantic integration and advances our knowledge of foreign policy and its economic, social and security dimensions for small and medium-sized countries. It will be of interest to academics, postgraduate and research students, and think-tankers with research interest in IR and Southeast European Studies. European decision makers will also gain an insight into the extent of non-Western influence in the region.
Download or read book The Western Balkans and the EU written by Morton Abramowitz and published by . This book was released on 2011 with total page 200 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Today, more than fifteen years after the end of the wars that accompanied Yugoslavia's dissolution, the "Balkan question" remains more than ever a "European question". In the eyes of many Europeans in the 1990s, Bosnia was the symbol of a collective failure, while Kosovo later became a catalyst for an emerging Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP). In the last decade, however, the overall thrust of the EU's Balkans policy has moved from an agenda dominated by security issues related to the war and its legacies to one focused on the perspective of the Western Balkan states' accession to the European Union. This Chaillot Paper, which features contributions from authors from various parts of the region, examines the current state of play in the countries of the Western Balkans with regard to EU accession. It brings together both views from the Balkans states themselves and overarching thematic perspectives. For the first time the European Union has become involved in the formation of new nation-states that also aspire to become members of the Union. The EU's transformative power has proved effective in integrating established states; now it is confronted with the challenge of integrating new and sometimes contested states. Against this background, this paper makes the case for a concerted regional approach to EU enlargement, and a renewed and sustained commitment to the European integration of the Western Balkans.
Download or read book Atlas of Challenges and Opportunities in European Neighbourhoods written by Pierre BECKOUCHE and published by Springer. This book was released on 2016-04-26 with total page 216 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This atlas provides a macro-regional overview of the areas that surround the European Union, from the Sahara to the Middle East, Western Balkans to European Russia, Turkey to the Arctic. Detailing key socio-economic data as well as developmental trends, the maps provide a comprehensive territorial analysis at a local scale and explore the potential for regional integration and cooperation.These pioneering maps examine challenges that threaten this wide, yet inter-connected, region, including environmental concerns in the North, political unrest in the East, social factors in the Western Balkans, and the upheaval in the Mediterranean since the Arab spring. Coverage investigates such key countries and areas as Libya, Israel, Palestine, Syria, and the Ukraine as well as explores such essential issues as Europe’s energy procurement. In addition, it also presents a comparison with other world regions such as East Asia and North America.In the end, readers discover that territorial integration faces many shortcomings, but that deep regional cooperation would be a key driver for the EU’s sustainable future. This atlas features the main results of the “Integrated Territorial Analysis of the Neighbourhoods” research project undertaken by ESPON (The European Observation Network for Territorial Development and Cohesion). It provides scholars; local authorities and NGOs involved in cross-border cooperation; companies interested in energy, agriculture, water, transportation and communication; and interested readers with key insights into this important region.
Download or read book Towards Economic Inclusion in the Western Balkans written by William Bartlett and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2022-10-10 with total page 394 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The countries in the Western Balkans have been severely affected by the wars and conflicts that led to the breakup of former Yugoslavia, by political instability and the effort of creating new states, weak economies and high levels of unemployment, poverty and social exclusion, and inequality. As revealed by recent surveys, such as EBRD’s Life in Transition Survey and Eurofound’s European Quality of Life Survey, life satisfaction in the region is far below that elsewhere in Europe. In recent years they had achieved a strong impetus of economic growth with falling rates of unemployment and increasing optimism for the future. However, the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 has brought about a sudden reversal of these trends and a renewed deterioration in the economic outlook, and an increase in social hardships that heralds a repeat of past failures in economic inclusion policies. This book identifies the key challenges in the areas of economic inclusion, focusing on the themes of labour markets, vocational education and skills, female entrepreneurship and the integration of migrants. It considers the opportunities for solutions to “build back better” once the recovery from the COVID-19 crisis begins, and offers proposals for more acceptable, equitable and effective economic inclusion policies.
Download or read book The Periphery of the Periphery written by Dimitar Bechev and published by Anchor Books. This book was released on 2012 with total page 16 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Next July Croatia will become the 28th EU member, but as Europe struggles to deal with the euro crisis, has any further enlargement into the Western Balkans frozen to a halt? Although the temptation for the EU is to adopt a 'wait and see' strategy, the stability of the status quo may prove deceptive. There is a silent pact between the enlargement-fatigued and crisis-hit EU member states and rent-seeking Balkan elites who do not mind slowing the pace of reform, with a 'fire-brigade' approach to periodic crises and outbursts of violence in Kosovo and elsewhere. But in a new ECFR paper, "The periphery of the periphery: the Western Balkans and the euro crisis",Dimitar Bechev warns that a failure to deliver transformation in the region would hurt EU credibility in other regions, like the Middle East and former Soviet Union. He argues that: The EU must shift its focus from a narrative based upon security, to one based upon the economy. A Greek exit would send shockwaves through the Western Balkan economies already weakened by the euro crisis, and threaten an economic meltdown -- Stagnation and rising unemployment (especially among the young) wipe out support for the type of reformist policies that the EU supports. The popularity of the EU in the Western Balkans has declined markedly in some areas, as 'Eurorealism' takes over from 'Europhilia' -- Reform remains essential. The Western Balkans are also struggling to cope with the crisis thanks to domestic policy failures, highlighting that 'Europeanisation' needs to be accompanied by deeper transformation. "In good times the EU exported prosperity to the Balkans; now in a time of crisis it is exporting instability. The EU needs to restore a sense of momentum towards enlargement and put pressure on under-performing governments. If not ambitious powers like Russia, Turkey and China will fill the gaps." Key facts: Montenegro opened accession talks on 29th June and hopes to join the EU in a decade -- Serbia was upgraded to candidate status back in March 2012 -- Bosnia may submit a membership application this year, after its 16 month wait for a state level government ended in February 2012 -- Kosovo began a visa liberalisation dialogue with the European Commission on 19th January 2012 -- 2/3 of Western Balkans trade is with the EU"--Publisher's description.
Download or read book Tough Love written by Steven Blockmans and published by T.M.C. Asser Press. This book was released on 2007 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The European Union has come a long way in the Western Balkans in just a few years. Where, in the 1990s, the EU stood by and watched the Balkans burn, it was the US, within NATO, that acted decisively to stop the wars. In the aftermath of the Kosovo crisis, the Union finally found its voice to say no to new armed conflict in the heart of Europe. As part of the international presence in the region, the EU adopted sanctions, brokered political agreements, launched its first-ever police and military missions and directed economic, legal and administrative reforms to eradicate the roots of instability. Yet, despite the comprehensive nature of the Union’s actions, its strategies have been marked by confusion, its actions by concurrent or competing mandates of other international organisations. As the Western Balkans still contain the possibility of a genuine security threat, there is a real imperative to move the region as a whole from the stage of international protectorates and weak states to the stage of accession to the euro-Atlantic organisations to which they aspire. The author argues that, under the leadership of the European Union, only a ‘tough love’ strategy, based on a firm but fair application of the conditionality principle, can lead to the integration of the Western Balkans into the European mainstream. Dr. Steven Blockmans is senior research fellow in EU law and deputy head of research at the T.M.C. Asser Instituut, The Hague, The Netherlands.
Download or read book Integration in the European Union as a Double edged Sword for the Western Balkans written by and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Abstract: By analyzing the impact of the economic crisis on the Western Balkan (WB) countries, the paper concludes that their export, inflow of remittances and FDI have suffered due to the crisis. Regarding the rapid credit growth in years before the crisis it spurred an increase in imports, which in context of relatively uncompetitive economies, led to increased current account deficits despite significant remittances and FDI inflows. The impact of the crisis in the region can be explained mainly by their degree of European integration. But, the European Union (EU) is more uncertain to embrace the economically weaker countries, causing loss of EU credibility. It seems that the EU integration is a double-edged sword for the WB: in good times EU delivers its prosperity, but at a time of crisis, it is creating instability