CEEOL - Search Result

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2018 – the Year Credible EU Enlargement Policy Returns?

Author(s): Srđan Majstorović / Language(s): English

Keywords: EU; 2018; enlargement policy; return;

The previous year, 2017, was the year of annunciation of the return of the EU Enlargement Policy. The European Commission President J.C. Juncker, in his State of the Union Speech, and later in the letter of intent directed to the European Parliament in September, mentioned the need for defining a clear time perspective for the accession of the leading candidates Serbia, and Montenegro to the European Union by 2025. E. Macron, the President of France, reacted similarly in his speech on the future of the European Union in September at the Sorbonne, which is especially important for political legitimacy of the announced return of the enlargement policy into the focus of the EU. Even more importantly this idea did not meet any serious opposition, despite the obvious rise in populism and the lack of attractiveness of the topic of further enlargement in the EU Member States. All of this indicates that the relationship between the EU and its Member States towards the enlargement policy is beginning to change slowly from a very skeptical attitude from the beginning of the mandate of Juncker’s Commission to the announcement of a credible enlargement strategy and defining the time frame for the most successful candidates.

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Away with the Enlargement Bogeyman - Reforming the EU Enlargement Policy for a prompter acceptance of the Western Balkans

Author(s): Milena Lazarević / Language(s): English

Keywords: EU; accession; enlargement; Western Balkans; policy;

The enlargement of the European Union to the Western Balkans is still an uncertainty, fifteen years after the countries of the region were promised a European perspective at the 2003 Thessaloniki Summit. In early 2018, a credible European perspective was reiterated for the six countries. However, the countries are still far from ready for membership and the EU is not coherent in its resolve to let them in, in spite of the many geo-strategic, political, economic and security arguments in favour of their more immediate membership. A number of them were recognised by the European Commission in its latest enlargement strategy for the region. Moreover, further enlargement to the Balkans seems to be an undesirable development for a large part of EU citizens, which may be a cause for lingering hesitation by the political leaderships of several member states. At the same time, the protracted EU association and accession process risks disappointing and alienating the citizens of the Balkan countries from idea of integration and reducing the political elites’ incentives to comply with increasingly rigorous membership conditionalities. Is there a way to reconcile all these challenges and secure the region’s accession in the foreseeable future, thus consolidating its European inclination, including a clear commitment to the EU’s democratic values, peace and stability? This discussion paper argues that the answer to this question lies in reinventing the EU’s approach to enlargement by integrating a post-accession conditionality mechanism which would ensure that these countries’ governments are kept in check in a credible manner after they become EU members. The author discusses potential points of criticism that this proposal might encounter and offers a way forward for its design and implementation.

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From Bystanders to Contributors - A Realistic Way Towards Candidates’ Participation in the EU Council

Author(s): Strahinja Subotić / Language(s): English

Keywords: EU; Council; candidates; participation; bystanders; policy;

Guided by the aim to unlock the political will necessary to implement reforms and expedite the next enlargement, CEP has advocated, as part of the Staged Accession Model, 1 for the gradual, merit-based opening of EU institutions to EU candidates. Using the level of achieved reforms as a basis for rewards, institutional incentives were intended to work in tandem with financial incentives that entailed increasing but conditioning funds that would be available to candidates. The proposal for increasing EU funds was designed to reduce the socio-economic convergence gap between the Western Balkans and the EU and encourage the development of domestic absorption capacities of candidate countries. The institutional incentives were intended to enable candidates to engage in discussions with member states’ officials on mainstream EU policy issues, socialise with their EU peers and gradually develop their administrations’ capacities to assume membership responsibilities. Such a proposed integration framework was subsequently reflected in the European Council’s 2022 June Conclusions on gradual integration, indicating a readiness of EU institutions and member states to innovate the enlargement toolbox. However, unlike the financial incentives which have been incorporated into the New Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, the institutional incentives remain largely under-operationalised to date. The European Commission and the European Parliament have recently expressed willingness to open their doors to candidates’ participation, while the European Economic and Social Council (EESC) has already involved civil society organisations from candidate countries in its work. Yet, the Council of the EU has so far done little to engage with the candidates.

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The New Growth Plan - Assessing the Value of the Proposed Early Integration Incentives

Author(s): Đorđe Dimitrov / Language(s): English

Keywords: EU; integration; incentives; new growth plan; value assessment; Western Balkans;

The Western Balkan countries (WB6) have long been entangled in a protracted stalemate in their quest for European Union membership. However, recent geopolitical shifts caused by Russia’s attack on Ukraine have thrust the enlargement process back on the EU’s agenda as one of the Union’s highest priorities, injecting new vigour into the process. In the Spring of 2024, the European Parliament and the Council adopted the Regulation establishing the Reform and Growth Facility for the Western Balkans. This milestone also marked the official acceptance of the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans (Growth Plan), a strategic initiative presented in the fall of 2023 aimed at revitalising the enlargement process and reducing the economic disparity between the WB6 and the EU. Among other things, it proposed incentives in the form of early integration into the single market by providing access to various EU initiatives such as programmes, agencies, joint alliances, and more. It was done with the aim to facilitate more opportunities for closer association with the EU’s single market already during the pre-accession period.

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Setting the Stage for Enlargement - The Integration of the Staged Accession Model into the New Growth Plan for the Western Balkans

Author(s): Strahinja Subotić / Language(s): English

Keywords: Western Balkans; EU; enlargement; accession; policy; growth plan;

The inception of the New Growth Plan for the Western Balkans (NGP) represented a pivotal moment in the ongoing discussions of how to breathe life into gradual integration within the EU’s approach to enlargement. Gradual integration can be broadly defined as the strategy to incrementally extend membership-like benefits to non-member states, thereby smoothing their transition toward full EU membership. Since 2021, the Model for Staged Accession has pioneered a horizontal approach to this concept, linking the access to increased benefits to the level of accomplished reforms in all clusters. This model seeks to move beyond the traditional binary approach to enlargement while prioritising the Fundamentals. Given that both the Model and the NGP represent attempts of operationalising gradual integration, it is warranted to analyse to what extent they overlap. The paper posits that while the NGP effectively integrates the Model’s principle of conditional financial incentives to promote reforms, it overlooks the critical role of institutional participation as a complementary driver for accelerated accession progress. Uncovering the similarities and nuances of the NGP and the Model, the aim of the paper is to provide clarity on the analysed topic to EU policymakers and guide them on how to continue exploring further possibilities of gradual integration in the next institutional cycle.

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The Conference on the Future of Europe: Is the EU still serious about the Balkans?

Author(s): Milena Lazarević,Corina Stratulat / Language(s): English

Keywords: EU; Balkans; Europe future; conference;

If the EU does not count the Balkan countries among the stakeholders who should participate, in some form, in the upcoming Conference on the Future of Europe (CoFoE), then one has to wonder whether the Union is still serious about the European perspective of the region. The EU should allow political leaders and citizens from the Balkan countries to join the activities and discussions held in the context of the CoFoE on a consultative basis, along the representative and citizens’ dimensions of the process, respectively. In doing so, the EU would build on the precedent of the European Convention of the early 2000s. The EU has nothing to lose and everything to win by deepening and re¬ning its relationship with the Balkan countries, by allowing the region to feel included in its plans for the future of the EU. The Union would use the interdependence with the Balkans to good advantage, strengthening natural alliances with its neighbours and consolidating its political vicinity. Deliberating over joint responses to speci¬c common challenges addressed by the Conference would help the Balkan countries continue to build experience and know-how in preparation for their eventual EU membership. Allowing the Balkans to witness and contribute to this initiative would also foster a sense of togetherness and partnership that has been lacking from the long, drawn-out formal accession process. More, rather than less, EU-Balkans cooperation and coordination will build trust and loyalty. In the end, even without a formal invitation to accompany the CoFoE process, the Balkan countries should organise themselves at the political and societal levels to follow the Conference and mirror its activities with similar initiatives. The Regional Cooperation Council could help organise and coordinate a network of Balkan politicians tasked by their governments to follow and participate in the Conference. In parallel, civil society networks in the region should build on their already existing cooperation and look for funds to organise ‘Balkan Citizens’ Consultations’, which can accompany the CoFoE process as it unfolds. Such a broad mobilisation would prove the Balkan countries’ strong will to approach the EU and a certain dose of political maturity. But the Union should know better than to just wait to be impressed by the Balkans. The EU is one CoFoE invitation away from leaping forward into the future, together with its strong partners and closest neighbours, as Commission President von der Leyen referred to the Balkans in her State of the Union address.

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The Great Gap - Assessing the New Growth Plan’s Potential to Address Socioeconomic Disparity

Author(s): Marko Todorović,Ana Milinković / Language(s): English

Keywords: Western Balkans; new growth plan; NGP; EU;

The New Growth Plan (NGP) for the Western Balkans marks a significant departure from the existing Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA). While the latter lacks reform-related conditionalities, the NGP’s funding will hinge upon the successful implementation of fundamental and socioeconomic reforms. By gradually providing increased financial benefits ahead of accession (amounting to roughly €6 billion, comprising €2 billion in grants and €4 billion in favourable loans), the initiative seeks to unlock the political will for reforms to take place and to facilitate socioeconomic convergence. According to the European Commission, the region’s convergence stands at approximately 35% of the EU average. Given the magnitude of this disparity, the pertinent question arises: Will the NGP prove sufficient to address the pressing socioeconomic gap and contribute to catching up with the EU average?

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The Model of Staged Accession to the European Union - Addressing the Western Balkans’ Three Key Concerns

Author(s): Strahinja Subotić,Milena Lazarević / Language(s): English

Keywords: EU; Western Balkans; accession; staged politics; policy;

Ever since its inception, the number of those supporting the Template model of staged accession to the EU has been sprouting. Primarily, this applies to the EU stakeholders from several member states who have recognised the Model’s potential to reform the enlargement policy. Moreover, the acquired feedback has been valuable as it allowed the authors to refine the Model further. The collected comments and reactions were used to produce a follow-up publication focused on addressing the four key concerns of EU stakeholders. As the ensuing discussions with the stakeholders from the Western Balkans have also brought to light certain regional dilemmas and concerns, this paper seeks to discuss and respond to those most frequently encountered. This includes the worriment that the Model would: 1. delay accession to the EU; 2. create a shortcut to the EU; and, 3. make the Western Balkan countries second-class member states. Deflating these concerns is highly important considering that the implementation of the Model would greatly benefit from strong support and ownership in the region.

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The Role of Civil Society in Re-shaping EU Enlargement Policy in the Context of Geopolitical Changes - The Model for Staged Accession to the EU as a Case Study

Author(s): Strahinja Subotić / Language(s): English

Keywords: EU; enlargement policy; civil society; role; geopolitics;

Since the last expansion of the European Union in 2013, the enlargement policy ceased to be a priority for the Union. This happened despite the civil society organisations’ (CSOs) warnings of the perils such a stance might bring. The inability of CSOs to impact the EU’s policymaking agenda was a result of the EU’s traditional struggles with the inclusivity of non-state actors concerning policy development. With the outbreak of war in Ukraine in 2022, however, the tides have changed. In the midst of geopolitical challenges, EU officials started emphasising that the enlargement policy was back on the agenda. The paper argues that this shift has created a strategic opportunity for CSOs to carve out a more distinctive position within the EU’s policymaking process. This was achieved through their robust advocacy for innovative ideas concerning enlargement, thereby positioning CSOs as influential contributors to the evolution of EU policies.

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Towards Better Monitoring of Democracy in the Western Balkans - Improving Functioning of Democratic Institutions as a Key Instrument in EC’s Reports

Author(s): Miloš Pavković,Đorđe Dimitrov / Language(s): English

Keywords: Western Balkans; democracy; EC reports; monitoring;

Democracy and functioning democratic institutions are some of the key criteria and necessary prerequisites for a country to join the European Union (EU). First established at the Copenhagen European Council summit, as part of the so-called political criteria, it was additionally strengthened in 2020 with the Revised Enlargement Methodology (REM) by placing the sub-area ‘Functioning of democratic institutions’ (FoDI) in the Fundamentals cluster (Cluster 1). In that sense, the role of the European Commission (EC) and its annual country report for candidates serve as the most relevant source of information for the state of play in this area on which important decisions within the accession process are made, by EC and other EU competent bodies. The importance of credible reporting in the FoDI area has been once again confirmed by the decision of the European Council (EUCO) to start accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova, highlighting the necessity in their respective negotiating frameworks for preparing a roadmap for the functioning of democratic institutions.4 Finally, the newly adopted Growth Plan for the Western Balkans emphasises the Fundamentals as a condition for EU financial support.

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Transparency and Opacity in the EU Accession Negotiations - Time to Reconsider Existing Practices in Serbia

Author(s): Sena Marić,Srđan Majstorović / Language(s): English

Keywords: EU; accession; negotiations; existing practices; transparency; opacity;

This discussion paper argues that the current dynamics in Serbia’s EU accession talks and the existing modes of interaction between the Serbian government, civil society and European Commission (EC) are not conducive to swift and sustainable progress on the EU track. Serbia should step up its efforts to build up its institutional capacities and reinvent effective mechanisms for evidence-based and inclusive policymaking. Open dialogue between the government and civil society1 , as well as transparency in the accession process, are prerequisites in this regard. Serbia can and should do more to meet these preconditions if it is to effectively enforce the legislation aligned with the EU acquis and ensure collective ownership of this process, with the citizens aware and informed about the benefits and constraints of EU membership. This requires a reset of the relationship between the state and CSOs by (re)building mutual trust and raising the established patterns of cooperation to a higher level. The EC/EU should consider disclosing the findings of its expert/peer review missions to the public in order to maintain pressure on the Serbian executive in the wake of the more demanding phase in EU accession negotiations. This would also help to make the public debate on Serbia’s EU membership transparent and substantiated with facts, thus increasing the legitimacy of the accession process.

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Series:Centar za evropske politike - DISCUSSION PAPER

2018 – the Year Credible EU Enlargement Policy Returns?

Away with the Enlargement Bogeyman - Reforming the EU Enlargement Policy for a prompter acceptance of the Western Balkans

From Bystanders to Contributors - A Realistic Way Towards Candidates’ Participation in the EU Council

The New Growth Plan - Assessing the Value of the Proposed Early Integration Incentives

Setting the Stage for Enlargement - The Integration of the Staged Accession Model into the New Growth Plan for the Western Balkans

The Conference on the Future of Europe: Is the EU still serious about the Balkans?

The Great Gap - Assessing the New Growth Plan’s Potential to Address Socioeconomic Disparity

The Model of Staged Accession to the European Union - Addressing the Western Balkans’ Three Key Concerns

The Role of Civil Society in Re-shaping EU Enlargement Policy in the Context of Geopolitical Changes - The Model for Staged Accession to the EU as a Case Study

Towards Better Monitoring of Democracy in the Western Balkans - Improving Functioning of Democratic Institutions as a Key Instrument in EC’s Reports

Transparency and Opacity in the EU Accession Negotiations - Time to Reconsider Existing Practices in Serbia