Querying the Role of Trade Among the EU and the Western Balkans for a United and Strong European Union
Querying the Role of Trade Among the EU and the Western Balkans for a United and Strong European Union

Author(s): Elif Dağdemir Uçkan
Subject(s): Politics / Political Sciences, Politics, EU-Accession / EU-DEvelopment
Published by: Университет за национално и световно стопанство (УНСС)
Keywords: European Union; Western Balkans; Integration; Trade
Summary/Abstract: The European Union (EU) has always been a unique example of an effective and successful economic integration for the academia of social sciences. For instance, we refer to the EU when we are studying the theory of monetary union, the effectiveness of the common market or the welfare effects of the free movement of labor and capital. Nevertheless, when it comes to the political integration issues, the scene becomes a little bit blurry. Even though the European integration has begun with a political will, the impetus was given with economic integration goals. In spite of the legitimate success stories of economic as well as political integration since 1950s, the EU has been experiencing hard times recently with the compelling issues ranging from quasi-instability within the euro area to Brexit, from migration and refugee agenda to the reluctance of Poland to the EU tasks and some regional issues. Along with these integration issues as mostly referred to deepening, the EU has been trying to hold its momentum on enlargement. As of 2018, Western Balkan countries and Turkey are at the enlargement agenda as candidate countries. Actually, issues like migration and refugees, energy, sustainable development and environment which are embodied within the deepening tasks, constitute an integral part of the EU enlargement agenda, as well. Such a compelling and inter-related agenda could be more competently tackled with a united EU.

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