WESTERN B ALKANS 2004. Assistance, cohesion and the new boundaries of Europe. A call for policy reform
WESTERN B ALKANS 2004. Assistance, cohesion and the new boundaries of Europe. A call for policy reform

Author(s): Author Not Specified
Subject(s): International relations/trade, Post-Communist Transformation
Published by: ESI – European Stability Initiative
Keywords: Western Balkans; EU-Accession;
Summary/Abstract: As the period of reconstruction and stabilisation draws to a close, the Western Balkans is facing a looming crisis of social and economic dislocation which puts at risk some of the European Union’s most important interests in this strategic region. The crisis is emerging just as existing European assistance is being scaled down, and just as the countries of the region find themselves excluded from the European enlargement process. If the region is not to become an island of instability within the European project, existing European policy instruments need to evolve into a genuine and long-term commitment to address the region’s chronic economic and social problems. The European Union should send a strong signal to the countries of the Western Balkans that the promise of Europeanisation is not an illusion.

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