Integration of Western Balkans towards EU

Abstract

In 2003 the EU declared that “the future of the Balkans is within the European Union”. Initially it adopted a 
generous strategy that liked the timetable for accession to the pace of reform in the Western Balkans. Accession 
is now explicitly dependent on factors outside the control of candidate and potential members. There is a mutual 
interest of EU member states and the Western Balkans to implement reforms and to form a framework for 
long‐term stability which can counteract these negative trends. The EU offered a European perspective for these 
countries, which proved to be an essential part of the long‐term, democratic state‐building process. 
To give a detailed view of this process, challenges and obligations that should be faced during this long road, I 
drafted the article on the integration of WB towards EU.  
I will point out the reasons why the Europe was doubtful about Western Balkan EU membership, the willingness 
and the positive results of WB with regard to EU membership. Based on these outcomes I will explain why the 
EU decided to develop its enlargement policy towards the Western Balkans.  The aim of this article is to 
introduce to the reader the mutual reasons of cooperation between the WB countries and the European Union.