2022 Open Balkan: The future belongs to the peoples of the Balkans
2022 Open Balkan: The future belongs to the peoples of the Balkans

Author(s): Not Specified Author
Subject(s): Regional Geography, International relations/trade, Security and defense, EU-Accession / EU-DEvelopment
Published by: Mednarodni inštitut za bližnjevzhodne in balkanske študije IFIMES
Keywords: 2022; Open Balkan; Western Balkans; EU;
Summary/Abstract: The European Union’s treats Western Balkans states as a wicked stepmother. While this has not significantly changed even after the Russian invasion on Ukraine, it did triggered a fundamental debate on whether the EU wants at all to admit the remaining six Western Balkan countries (Serbia, North Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo) to full-fledged membership. If the EU would have an intent to admit the listed countries to its membership, the question to be asked is how it could do that. Namely, 19 years have passed since the adoption of the Thessaloniki agenda for the Western Balkans, which envisaged membership of the Western Balkan countries in the EU. Other than the promises about European perspective of the respective countries, nothing concrete has happened with respect to their membership in the EU.

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