Regional cooperation in Western Balkans A Prerequisite for European Union Integration

This article analyzes the necessity of regional cooperation in the Western Balkans, common political, economic and social problems in the region as a prerequisite for European Union integration. The efforts of the EU to foster and enhance the regional cooperation among Western Balkan countries should be viewed as an incentive to addressing cross-boundary issues, and not as a threat that individual accession could be obstructed. Having in mind the complexity of the issue related to the Balkans integration, this paper attempts to identify what the implications for enlargement are, and the influence of the existing factors that might have an impact on stability in the region.
Despite of the individual approach towards states in the Western Balkan region and the EU’s advocacy, the relations between European Union and Western Balkans will probably remain characterized by a more regional approach, in terms of commonly used models of accession and applying the same criteria and assessing achievements. The EU major initiatives show that this restructuring will not end with full membership, but will remain an open-ended process. Therefore we should conclude that the European Union’s strategy towards the Western Balkans accession is a hegemonic project.