The EU and Western Balkans: which path for the future?

Abstract

Until 2022, EU enlargement primarily targeted the Western Balkans. However, Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine shifted focus and resources towards Ukraine and Moldova. Meanwhile, the Western Balkans experienced increasing geopolitical pressures and the rise of illiberal tendencies in several states. Public support for EU enlargement in the region has diminished, accompanied by growing domestic opposition to EU conditionality. In this context, enlargement has become a strategic necessity for the EU, yet its realisation faces notable challenges. This panel gathers papers that explore multiple aspects of EU enlargement in the Western Balkans, including illiberal trajectories in Serbia, patterns of domestic contestation and protests, and the evolving engagement of EU institutions.

Title	Details
EU Enlargement in Times of Geopolitical Uncertainty: Insights from the European Parliament’s Western Balkans Delegations	View Paper Details
Autocratization, Alignment and ‘Geopolitical Europe’: Contestations of EU conditionality in domestic and foreign policy in Serbia and Georgia 2019-2024	View Paper Details
Asymmetric Dependence: A Patron–Client Interpretation of Serbia’s EU Trajectory	View Paper Details
Complex, Changeable, or Just Complicated: Understanding EU Actorness Through the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue	View Paper Details
How Conditionality Shapes Coercion: Explaining Varieties of Protest Response in Serbia and Georgia	View Paper Details