THE EU INTEGRATION OF THE WESTERN BALKANS STATES AND TURKEY – SECURITY COSTS AND GAINS
THE EU INTEGRATION OF THE WESTERN BALKANS STATES AND TURKEY – SECURITY COSTS AND GAINS

Summary/Abstract: The present paper sets itself to illustrate a clear image of the stage to which the Western Balkans States and Turkey arrived on their way towards the European integration. Having in view the connection between the enlargement policy, as a constitutive element of the European construction, and the necessity to ensure a stable security environment in the community space, we set ourselves, by this approach, to highlight both the security gains that the European Union will achieve when accepting these states in the European club and the security costs that an eventual enlargement delay or halt would imply. We have chosen to analyze separately the project of the enlargement in the Western Balkans and the one of the enlargement in Turkey, although Croatia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Turkey are included in the category of candidate countries and the rest of the states from the “Europe’s powder keg” is part of the potential candidate countries category. This approach is founded on the fact that each area is characterized by some specific features, which may determine different security costs and gains for the EU.

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