OPEN BALKAN INITIATIVE: A CONTESTED ISSUE IN THE EU MEMBERSHIP PERSPECTIVE
OPEN BALKAN INITIATIVE: A CONTESTED ISSUE IN THE EU MEMBERSHIP PERSPECTIVE
Author(s): Elton Tota, Gjon CulajSubject(s): Politics / Political Sciences, Politics, Law, Constitution, Jurisprudence, Constitutional Law, Civil Law, International Law, Political Theory, Political Sciences, Civil Society, Governance, Public Administration, Public Law, Labor relations, Economic policy, Environmental and Energy policy, Government/Political systems, International relations/trade, Security and defense, Military policy, Electoral systems, Welfare systems, Developing nations, Political behavior, Political economy, Political psychology, Politics and law, Politics and communication, Politics and society, History and theory of political science, Comparative politics, Law on Economics, Inter-Ethnic Relations, EU-Accession / EU-DEvelopment, Fiscal Politics / Budgeting, EU-Legislation, Geopolitics, Politics of History/Memory, Politics and Identity, Peace and Conflict Studies, Commercial Law, Comparative Law, Administrative Law, Labour and Social Security Law
Published by: Institute for Research and European Studies - Bitola
Keywords: Mini-Schengen; Open Balkan; Berlin Process; Western Balkans; Regional Cooperation; Common Regional Market
Summary/Abstract: The Open Balkan is the latest regional initiative in the Western Balkans (WB), firstly named as Mini-Schengen and then changed to Open Balkan Initiative (OBI), which aims to increase the regional economic cooperation among the WBs by going beyond the mere objective of creating a Common Regional Market (CRM). This paper using an analytical approach, taking into account data and information, has identified and highlighted the openly declared objectives of the OBI while comparing it with the previous Berlin Process. Also, the paper has shown that the disputes among the WB countries most inherited from the unresolved issues of the past are still present and hinder the progress towards a common future and EU membership perspective. The reactions to the OBI proved that even the creation of mere economic cooperation is hardly achieved in the case of other existing unresolved issues of the past and continues to remain open. This paper has highlighted the existence of mistrust among the WBs, the importance of increasing regional cooperation, and the role that the EU should inevitably play. The paper has concluded that to achieve the targets defined in the OBI, the WBs should enhance regional cooperation and overcome the challenges they have been facing.
Journal: Journal of Liberty and International Affairs
- Issue Year: 9/2023
- Issue No: 1
- Page Range: 312-324
- Page Count: 13
- Language: English