СЛАБОСТИ ПОЛИТИКЕ ПРОШИРЕЊА ЕВРОПСКЕ УНИЈЕ НА ЗАПАДНОМ БАЛКАНУ
WEAKNESSES OF THE EUROPEAN UNION’S ENLARGEMENT POLICY IN THE WESTERN BALKANS

Author(s): Milovan R. Subotić
Subject(s): Politics / Political Sciences, Politics, Security and defense, Military policy, EU-Approach / EU-Accession / EU-Development, Geopolitics
Published by: Institut za strategijska istraživanja
Keywords: Enlargement policy; EU; Western Balkans; weaknesses; Russia; China; Turkey
Summary/Abstract: The European Union’s (EU) enlargement process for the Western Balkans represents one of the key instruments for fostering political stabilisation and democratic consolidation in the region following the dissolution of Yugoslavia. Although the EU formally upholds a policy of open doors, numerous indicators signal a stagnation in this process. Despite official commitments to accession, tangible progress among the countries of the region remains limited, while public enthusiasm for EU membership is steadily declining. This paper aims to analyse the main weaknesses of the EU’s enlargement policy for the Western Balkans, focusing on institutional, political, and geopolitical dimensions. The shortcomings of the regional states are also examined, in accordance with the paraphrased maxim that both success and failure require the involvement of two sides. The influence of other geopolitical actors, such as Russia, China, and Turkey, on the Western Balkan states, resulting from the EU’s and local elites’ failures, warrants particular scholarly attention. This paper concludes that the current trajectory of the enlargement policy poses a serious threat to the stability and European future of the Western Balkans. Rather than formally abandoning the process, the EU relies on mechanisms of delay and increasingly stringent conditions, thereby eroding trust in the accession path. If the Union wishes to preserve its geopolitical influence in the region, it must reform its approach, ensure greater transparency, and renew its political commitment to enlargement. Evidently, the EU’s enlargement policy for the Western Balkans faces significant weaknesses that undermine both its credibility and effectiveness. The lack of political will, inconsistent application of criteria, influence of rival powers, slow-moving bureaucracy, and limited reform outcomes all point to the need for a thorough revision of the enlargement strategy. Without a renewed, coherent, and politically supported vision, the European perspective of the Western Balkans will remain or become even more jeopardised.

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