Ernten was man sät – Perspektiven der EU in Südosteuropa jenseits der Stabilokratie
Reap what you sow – EU-perspectives in Southeast Europe beyond Stabilitocracy

Summary/Abstract: The European Union’s (EU) policy in Southeast Europe is in crisis. On the one hand, citizens and governments of the region are frustrated because of the constant postponement of accession to the EU. On the other hand, the region is still viewed in EU capitals and by many of its citizens as a source of instability and problems for the continent. However, various researchers and observers working on politics in Southeast Europe agree that the EU is not innocent regarding the decline of democracy and rule of law in the region. They see the EU as complicit by legitimating and often financially supporting non-reforming governments, so-called “Stabilitocracies”. This article finds evidence for this argument in two less discussed country cases, namely North Macedonia and the Republic of Moldova. However, it also argues that the EU waseventually key in supporting oppositional actors to bring the Stabilocrat-governments down when their time had come. Still, another problem of the EU is addressed: Its inability to support credible reform actors and their agendas in the region by offering a meritocratic EU accession process. The EU is thus not only an involuntary supporter of authoritarianism in the region, but also able to act as an ally of strong opposition movements. However, in its current state and with its current policy the EU seems unable to “bring in the harvest” of its successful actions in Southeast Europe.

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