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BILATERAL DISPUTES AND EU ENLARGEMENT IN THE WESTERN BALKANS

Since the beginning of the new phase of the war in Ukraine in February 2022, there has been a renewed enthusiasm on EU integration. The Western Balkans, which has been part of the enlargement agenda for over two decades, is once again attracting attention from Brussels and EU member states. However, various bilateral disputes continue to affect the region, such as statehood recognition, border demarcation, rights of ethnic minorities, and others. Many of these disputes derail the EU enlargement process or have the potential to do so. Increasingly, many of the EU decision-makers are considering how to separate bilateral disputes from the accession process, how to develop a more determined, proactive, and comprehensive strategy to address these issues, and whether the countries of the region could push for a separate initiative to resolve them.

 

To discuss these issues and ideas, the Council for Inclusive Governance (CIG) in cooperation with the Federal Foreign Office of Germany (AA) organized on September 28, 2024, in Tirana, Albania, a roundtable for senior officials of main political parties from the Western Balkans. The roundtable is part of a larger initiative to strengthen the region in the face of new geopolitical challenges. The discussions were held under the Chatham House Rule. CIG’s Senior Associate Igor Novakovic drafted this report below.