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Regional Cooperation in the Western Balkans - a Key to Integration into the European Union

Impaired inter-ethnic relations within the Western Balkans countries and absence of multicultural policies have proven to be a major obstacle for stability, security and democracy in 1990s. Trying to identify what the security implications for the enlargement are, the paper argues that the EU should develop specific policies towards countries with a higher risk of ethnic tensions (e.g. Bosnia and Herzegovina) from those countries with no apparent potential for re-emergence of conflicts (e.g. Croatia). Further on, by claiming that the unresolved status of Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina might have an impact on the stability of the region, this paper argues that despite the EU advocacy on individual approach towards applicant states, an attitude of a more regional approach will probably remain in the Union’ s relation with the Western Balkans ; both through the commonly used patterns for the accession (applying same criteria and assessing the achievement through the Stabilization and Association Process), and through the EU’ s persistence on the regional cooperation. The paper continues to emphasize the necessity of regional cooperation in the Western Balkans, pointing out that political, economic and social problems are common to all countries in the region. Finally, the paper concludes that the EU’ s insistence on the regional cooperation in the region should be interpreted as an incentive to address cross-boundary issues, and not as a threat that could obstruct the individual accession.

European Union ; Western Balkans ; Stabilisation and Association Process ; regional coopeeration

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