Raising its Balkan profile will cost Russia little

2016 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Political Parties ◽  
Domestic Politics ◽  
Security Architecture ◽  
Western Balkans ◽  
The West ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Balkans ◽  
The Eu

Subject Russia's contacts with Balkans political parties. Significance For Moscow, connections with Balkan parties are an instrument to exert influence in a region falling within the West's sphere. The declaration the ruling United Russia party signed with parties from Serbia, Bosnia-Hercegovina (BiH), Macedonia and Bulgaria on June 27 called for military neutrality in a Balkan zone of neutral sovereign states within a new pan-European continental security architecture that would exclude NATO membership and hark back to the Yugoslav policy of non-alignment. Impacts Russia will balance NATO expansion into the Western Balkans with initiatives to increase its influence in the region's domestic politics. Moscow will tacitly accept the Balkans' integration into the EU. Russia will seek to diversify alliances, cooperating with both mainstream pragmatists and radicals calling for a turn away from the West.

Russia will meddle in troubled Balkan waters

2019 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Member State ◽  
Political Affiliation ◽  
Western Balkans ◽  
The West ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Balkans ◽  
Contentious Issue ◽  
The Eu

Significance Disturbances in the newest NATO member state stems from religious and political affiliation rather than any doctrinal split, pitting pro-Western Montenegrin nationalists and minorities against self-identified Serbs loyal to Belgrade and Moscow. It is part of a broader Balkan split between pro-Western and pro-Russia orientations. Impacts The Western Balkans could become another contentious issue dividing Russia and Turkey, alongside Idlib and Libya. Unlike the EU, NATO is still interested in expanding in the Balkans. The West will push back against Beijing’s Balkan influence although its political profile is much lower than Moscow’s.

Border disputes will keep Balkan region unstable

2017 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Economic Development ◽  
Adverse Impact ◽  
Business Continuity ◽  
Western Balkans ◽  
Potential Conflict ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Balkans ◽  
Balkan Region ◽  
International Border ◽  
The Eu

Subject Intensifying disputes over several borders in the Western Balkans. Significance Croatia and Slovenia are at odds over their maritime border in the Adriatic. Kosovo rejects Montenegro’s claim to a parcel of land which Kosovo currently controls, while Serbia is mounting a challenge to the very existence of its border with Kosovo. Bosnian Serbs are threatening to create a new international border with the rest of Bosnia-Hercegovina (BiH). Impacts Border disputes will have an adverse impact on economic development and business continuity in the affected areas. Border disputes will frustrate the integration of the Balkans with the EU and NATO. Disputes over borders will provide a flashpoint for potential conflict, especially in Kosovo and BiH.

Brexit will remove advocate for Balkans enlargement

2016 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Emerging Economies ◽  
Eu Enlargement ◽  
Western Balkans ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Balkans ◽  
National Bank ◽  
Key Policy ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Business As Usual ◽  
The Eu

Subject Prospects for EU enlargement to the Western Balkans after the UK vote to leave. Significance EU officials and diplomats in the region are publicly trying to send messages that, when it comes to the accession prospects of the Western Balkan countries, everything remains 'business as usual', despite the UK vote to leave ('Brexit'). The familiar refrain is that as long as the countries of the region deliver on the reforms demanded by the EU, the process will continue to move forward. Impacts UK-Balkans trade, investment and remittances flows are too low to inflict any appreciable Brexit 'shock'. Serbia will remain on course for the EU despite Brexit, which will have no major financial or economic impact, the Serbian premier has said. However, the National Bank of Serbia cut its key policy rate yesterday, expecting Brexit to affect emerging economies, including Serbia. Pro-Russian elements in the Balkans will welcome UK withdrawal as removing a perceived obstacle to rapprochement between the EU and Russia.

Austria's migration U-turn will cause further conflict

2016 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Political Parties ◽  
Member State ◽  
Domestic Politics ◽  
Conflict Zones ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Border Policy ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Eu

Subject Austria's migration U-turn. Significance The EU's much-praised open border policy, regarded as a major achievement, lies in tatters as one member state after another struggles to cope with the influx of thousands fleeing from conflict zones. Trying to sort out genuine cases from those seeking a better life has split not only the EU but also political parties and domestic politics. Unusually, Austria has risked the open wrath of its big northern neighbour Germany, and has become one of Chancellor Angela Merkel's most forthright critics. Impacts The EU's March 7 agreement in principle with Turkey on readmitting migrants is looking fragile and could unravel. The switch to controlling borders will disrupt trade and travel within the Schengen area. The prospect of further mismanagement of the migrant crisis within the EU could have an impact on the UK referendum on membership in June.

The integrated assessment of RES cooperation between the EU and its neighbours

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 427-447 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marijke Welisch ◽  
Gustav Resch ◽  
André Ortner
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
North Africa ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Western Balkans ◽  
Member States ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Eu Member States ◽  
Good Resource ◽  
The Eu

Purpose The purpose of the paper is to provide estimation results for feasibility of renewable energy source (RES) deployment in Turkey, the Western Balkans and North Africa. From these results, the potential for cooperation in renewables production between the countries and the European Union (EU) is assessed and evaluated, in a mid- (2030) and long-term (up to 2040) perspective. Design/methodology/approach The authors focus on the quantitative assessments undertaken on the extent to which RES cooperation can create mutual benefits, identifying costs and benefits for both sides, but in particular with respect to RES target achievement (2020 and 2030) at EU level. The potentials for RES generation in Turkey, North Africa and the Western Balkans are calculated under different policy pathways, taking into account different levels of economic and non-economic barriers that could occur. Findings Overall, the authors found that increasing RES deployment in the three analysed regions and initiating or intensifying cooperation with EU28 Member States leads to mutual benefits. Concretely, these benefits become apparent in terms of the EU Member States importing renewable energy sources for electricity with a good resource quality and adding on to their targets for RES deployment. At the same time, substantial savings occur for the EU, in turn leading to income and investments in the cooperating regions. Originality/value The assessment underlying this paper is the first of its kind to the authors’ knowledge that opens up the geographical spread in comparison to merely assessing cooperation between Europe and the Middle East and North Africa. Furthermore, the multitude of policy parameters analysed provides detailed and robust insights concerning a broad variety of different possible scenarios.

8. EU Enlargement and Wider Europe

2018 ◽  
pp. 167-192 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulrich Sedelmeier ◽  
Graham Avery
Keyword(s):  
Soft Power ◽  
Domestic Politics ◽  
Eu Enlargement ◽  
European Neighbourhood Policy ◽  
Member States ◽  
The Balkans ◽  
European Model ◽  
Balkan Countries ◽  
The Future ◽  
The Eu

The EU has expanded many times and many countries still aspire to join. It has extended the prospect of membership to countries in the Balkans and Turkey and has developed a ‘neighbourhood’ policy towards other countries, some of which may want to join in the future. Enlargement illustrates the success of the European model of integration. It has also provided the EU with a powerful tool to influence domestic politics in would-be members. But enlargement also poses fundamental challenges. It has implications both for how the EU works (its structure and institutions) and for what it does (its policies). The chapter first compares ‘widening’ and ‘deepening’ before discussing enlargement as soft power. It then explains how the EU has expanded and why countries want to join. It also looks at prospective member states: the Balkan countries, Turkey, Norway, Switzerland, and Iceland. Finally, it examines the European Neighbourhood Policy.

scholarly journals Accession to the European Union and Perception of External Actors in the Western Balkans

2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (83) ◽  
pp. 6-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dejan Jović
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Public Opinion ◽  
The United States ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Western Balkans ◽  
The West ◽  
Eu Policies ◽  
The Republic ◽  
External Actors ◽  
The Eu

Abstract This paper focuses on perceptions of the European Union (EU) and external actors (such as the United States, Russia, and Turkey) in six countries of the Western Balkans (WB) and Croatia in a comparative perspective. We present data generated by public opinion polls and surveys in all countries of that region in order to illustrate growing trends of EU indifferentism in all predominately Slavic countries of the region. In addition, there is an open rejection of pro-EU policies by significant segments of public opinion in Serbia and in the Republic of Srpska, Bosnia-Herzegovina. On the contrary, there is much enthusiasm and support for the West in general and the EU in particular in predominately non-Slavic countries, Kosovo and Albania. We argue that the WB as a region defined by alleged desire of all countries to join the the EU is more of an elite concept than that shared by the general population, which remains divided over the issue of EU membership. In explaining reasons for such a gap we emphasise a role of interpretation of the recent past, especially when it comes to a role the West played in the region during the 1990s.

The Integration of the Eastern and Western Balkans into the EU and NATO

2022 ◽  
pp. 135-152
Author(s):  
Hugo Ferrinho Lopes ◽  
Alona Bondarenko
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Western Balkans ◽  
The Balkans ◽  
Complex Interactions ◽  
Integrative Process ◽  
Exclusive Processes ◽  
Internal Fragmentation ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The Eu

This chapter puts the European and Euro-Atlantic integration of the Balkans into the spotlight and further analyzes the reactions from Russia. This integrative process is a relevant intention, especially after the revolutionary changes of the 1990s and the collapse of the communist bloc. Literature is scarce, lacks an integrated approach, and barely addresses the topic from a comparative perspective. This research seeks to fill this gap through an empirical, systematic, and comparative analysis of the integration and disintegration processes across the region. The argument is that the integration is asymmetric, both between the two international organizations and between the two sub-regions, and that Russian investment decreases as integration goes forward. Findings highlight the complex interactions and interdependencies of the three mutually exclusive processes: the integration into the EU and NATO, the internal fragmentation of the region, and a transformation in the relationship with Russia when chasing the enlargement into these structures.

Western Balkan states to feel EU Energy Union impact

2015 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Policy ◽  
Western Balkans ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Energy Union ◽  
South Stream ◽  
Eu Energy Policy ◽  
Union Impact ◽  
Energy Community ◽  
Balkan States ◽  
The Eu

Subject The implications of the EU's planned Energy Union for the Western Balkans. Significance The cancellation of the South Stream gas pipeline underlined the exposure of the non-EU countries in the Western Balkans to EU energy policy. The EU's planned Energy Union will have implications for these states, which are grouped in the EU-backed Energy Community. Impacts The Energy Union's over-focus on gas could hold back development of the Western Balkans's greater potential in renewables. The Energy Union's potential may not be fully realised if the EU and Western Balkan do not deepen and widen regional ties. Small markets will exacerbate lack of funding from both state and private sources for major infrastructure projects.

Centre-left will struggle to win more votes in Balkans

2016 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Western Balkans ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Social Democratic ◽  
Post Conflict ◽  
Almost Everywhere ◽  
Ideological Parties ◽  
Democratic Parties ◽  
Social Democratic Parties ◽  
Parliamentary Politics ◽  
The Eu

Subject The state of social-democratic parties in the Western Balkans. Significance The centre-left space in the Western Balkans is a diverse combination of social-democratic parties -- either in government, serious contenders in upcoming snap elections or weak and fragmented in opposition. Notwithstanding the national specificities of post-communist transition and post-conflict politics, social democracy is as ideologically confused and politically vulnerable in the region as in the EU. Impacts Parliamentary politics faces crises almost everywhere in the Western Balkans, 25 years after the collapse of communism. Parties will compete to control state resources, in conditions of polarised, often corrupt, parliamentary politics and hybrid ideologies. Ethnically dominated politics will not allow much space for ideological parties.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document