Dialogues ownership for Regional Cooperation in the Western Balkan Countries
Publisher: Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung
Volume: 154 pages, pdf
Description:
At the end of 2008, the then EU-Commissioner for Enlargement, Olli Rehn, declared 2009 as „the Critical Year of the Balkans“. It remains to be seen if this prediction will come true, whether it is meant to be a warning or an offer, and to whom it has been directed. The “To-DoList” for both the countries in the Balkans, as well as for the European Union´s enlargement policy is long. The apparently endless period of transition and preparation for the accession into the EU has resulted in an increasing impatience and frustration on the side of the Balkans, whereas on the side of the European Union the question is asked more frequently these days why the political elites in the Balkans apparently lack the will and the capacity to overcome the legacies of the past and get their act together. The “Year of the Balkans 2009” shall probably be understood as an encouragement to both sides.