The specificities of the commission’s approach towards the Western Balkans
lessons learnt from the eastern enlargement
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.60054/PEU.2022.9.152-162Keywords:
EU enlargement policy, Western Balkans, transition in CEEAbstract
The subject of enlargement has greatly raised its priority due to the current geopolitical atmosphere of instability and insecurity close to the Eastern borders of the European Union. Meanwhile, the suboptimal results of the Eastern enlargement process are becoming more and more evident, giving grounds to question the taken-for-granted until recently “transformative power” of the EU. This “self-congratulatory” rhetoric, viewing the process as a “constant success story”, has been the foundation of both the practical instruments of the enlargement policy, and the mainstream academic literature, having the task to examine them.
Through a combination of qualitative and quantitative analysis, using the case study of Bulgaria as a symptomatic example, the paper identifies the basic principles upon which the EC’s approach towards the accession interaction with the CEECs was built. A critical review of the current enlargement strategy, based on the findings of the empirical study, will allow us to understand whether the lessons from the Eastern enlargement have been implemented successfully.
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