The Political Conditions of Economic Development in the Western Balkans
The Political Conditions of Economic Development in the Western Balkans

Summary/Abstract: The European Union’s policy towards the Western Balkan states (Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, Macedonia, Kosovo and Albania) has strongly emphasised the need for economic liberalisation and socio-economic reform. Yet, with the exception of minor success stories, this has not resulted in competitive market economies. Some countries, such as Bosnia and Kosovo, have still not returned to their economic performance levels reached before the Yugoslav wars, while even front runners such as Slovenia (which joined the EU in 2004) and Croatia (which became an EU member state in 2013) have been severely affected by the most recent financial and economic crisis. The paper argues that rather than focusing on economic reforms in the Western Balkans, it is important to support the establishment and consolidation of the political conditions for economic development and growth. Too often, so the main argument, have the EU and other international institutions focused too strictly on liberalisation and social reform, thereby neglecting underlying political considerations that strongly hamper socio-economic progress in the region.

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