REFOCUSING THE EUROPEAN UNION ATTENTION ON THE WESTERN BALKANS: THE IMPACT OF THE BERLIN PROCESS

AbstractThe European Union (EU) developed a state-building strategy for the aspiring member states in the Western Balkans. Demanding full cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), the EU made transitional justice part of the accession demands. Scholars have recently criticized the EU’s limited focus on retributive justice as opposed to restorative justice. This paper goes beyond such impact-orientated analyses by asking why the EU engaged with retributive transitional justice in the first place. The EU constructed ICTY-conditionality by mirroring its own post-Second World War experiences to the envisioned post-conflict trajectory of the Western Balkans. The EU therefore expected the court to contribute to reconciliation, democratization and the rule of law. Using Serbia as a case study, this article examines the conditionality’s context, specificities and discursive claims. Finally, it relates these findings to the agenda of a promising regional initiative prioritizing restorative justice (RECOM) and sheds new light on the impact of ICTY-conditionality on transitional justice in the Western Balkans.

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The Open End of the War of Yugoslav Legacy: the Consequences of the Dissolution of the SFRY Three Decades Later

Journal of International Analytics ◽

10.46272/2587-8476-2021-12-1-74-95 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 74-95

Author(s):

D. V. Yefremenko

Keyword(s):

European Union ◽

Historical Memory ◽

The United States ◽

External Control ◽

The European Union ◽

State Structure ◽

Western Balkans ◽

External Interference ◽

Bilateral Relations ◽

The Impact

The article examines the dynamics and prospects of resolving the main conﬂ icts in the Western Balkans three decades after the collapse of Yugoslavia. The most important factors inﬂ uencing the conﬂ ict dynamics in the region are ethnonationalism, ethnic homogenization and external interference. Western intervention made it possible to stop hostilities, but at the same time it actually consolidated the results of ethnic homogenization. The Serbo-Croatian conﬂ ict is close to its exhaustion due to the actual support of the West for Operation “Storm” (1995), the exodus of more than 200 thousand Serbs from Croatia, the integration of Croatia into NATO and the European Union. Despite the negative burden of historical memory, both Zagreb and Belgrade in bilateral relations are increasingly guided by political pragmatism and balanced assessments of the qualitatively changed situation. Against this background, the Dayton model of state structure in Bosnia and Herzegovina, built on the basis of institutional transactions of actors representing competing ethnocultural communities, demonstrates its dysfunctionality. The interaction and cooperation of these actors remain largely limited, carried out under external control and pressure. Regarding the structure of the article, the author, ﬁ rst, discusses some general issues contributing to the enduring conﬂ ict in the Western Balkans; second, the article examines the prospects of antagonism between the Serbs and Croats; third, I analyze the impact of the Dayton Accords on the post-Yugoslav space. I conclude that scenarios for the future of the Western Balkans, to which the European Union and the United States are oriented, do not lead to the elimination of the causes of major conﬂ icts in the post-Yugoslav space and obviously diverge in essential points from the images of the desired future that correspond to the aspirations of a signiﬁ cant part of the population in the region.

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The impact of the common security and defence policy of the European Union on the security of the Republic of Serbia

Vojno delo ◽

10.5937/vojdelo2102018d ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 73 (2) ◽

pp. 18-30

Author(s):

Aleksandar Dumić ◽

Mitar Kovač

Keyword(s):

European Union ◽

Security Policy ◽

The European Union ◽

Western Balkans ◽

Security Systems ◽

Democratic Development ◽

Cooperative Approach ◽

Nation States ◽

The Republic ◽

The Impact

The answer to transnational and asymmetric threats that are a topical issue on the world geopolitical stage can be found in the integration of national security systems, strengthening multilateral forms of security and the collective system of international security, as the key factors in providing peace, stability and democratic development of modern countries. In such circumstances, the need for a cooperative approach in preserving and improving security, based on cooperation and pooling of security capacities of nation states, is strengthening. This paper views the current achievements of the European Union (hereinafter EU) in terms of implementing its own security policy, primarily in the Western Balkans, in a broader sense, and the specific impact of such a policy on the security of the Republic of Serbia, in a narrower sense. Having in mind the extensive and complex context of the discussed topic, the paper considers, in the authors' opinion, an essential part of this issue, through the analysis of the position of the Republic of Serbia in such context, reviewing the genesis of the EU-Serbia relations and identifying current issues in these relations, and also through the possibilities of progress of cooperation and greater involvement of the capacities of our country in the current EU security policy in this region and beyond.

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State feminism in Serbia - institutionalization of feminist policies and practices

Sociologija ◽

10.2298/soc1603350a ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 58 (3) ◽

pp. 350-371

Author(s):

Zorana Antonijevic

Keyword(s):

European Union ◽

Feminist Movement ◽

The European Union ◽

Western Balkans ◽

Gender And Politics ◽

State Feminism ◽

The Impact ◽

The Relationship ◽

Variable Impact ◽

Policies And Practices

The analysis that will be addressed in this paper will be in the outline of understanding the relationship between gender and politics as a dynamic and variable impact of the women?s movement on public policy and their institutionalization. Within the theoretical framework of ?state feminism?, I will try to give a critical review of the impact and results of the gender equality mechanisms (women?s policy agencies), especially in relation to the policies and practices of the feminist movement in Serbia. My analysis will be primarily based on the theoretical bases derived from the research project on state feminism (2010) conducted by Dorothy E. McBride and Amy G. Mazur for more than thirty years. Also, some academic work dealing with state feminism concept will be examined trough case studies from the Western Balkans countries (Kesic, 2007,Spehar, 2007, 2012, 2014). Examples from the level of the European Union will be also taken into account (Squires 2007; Kantola and Outshoorn, 2007; Kantola and Dahl 2005; Kantola and Squires, 2012). Also, ?state feminism? is examined within the framework of the semi-periphery and policy creation in the process of transition and European Union accession.

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THE IMPACT OF INTERNATIONAL TOURISM ON ENERGY CONSUMPTION: A PANEL STUDY OF THE WESTERN BALKANS AND THE EUROPEAN UNION

Facta Universitatis Series Law and Politics ◽

10.22190/fulp2002055p ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 055

Author(s):

Jelena Petrović ◽

Žarko Dimitrijević

Keyword(s):

European Union ◽

Energy Consumption ◽

Panel Study ◽

International Tourism ◽

Steady Increase ◽

The European Union ◽

Western Balkans ◽

Final Energy ◽

Final Energy Consumption ◽

The Impact

During the 21st century, international tourism has recorded a steady increase and a growing importance for the economic growth and development of many countries. Yet, tourism in general and international tourism in particular require a vast amount of energy for products and services that are needed to satisfy tourists` needs and wants. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the impact of international tourism on the final energy consumption in the Western Balkans and the European Union (EU) countries in the period from 2007 to 2017. The results of regression analysis indicate that the impact of the number of foreign tourists on final energy consumption depends on the level of international tourism development. Concurrently, the results indicate that population and GDP per capita have an important impact on the final energy consumption in the EU and the Western Balkans countries.

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The crisis of democracy in Eastern Europe: (un)successful political integration of new members?

Medjunarodni problemi ◽

10.2298/medjp1902188d ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 71 (2) ◽

pp. 188-214

Author(s):

Dragana Dabic

Keyword(s):

European Union ◽

Political Integration ◽

The European Union ◽

Negative Consequences ◽

Western Balkans ◽

Main Hypothesis ◽

New Members ◽

Eastern European Countries ◽

Democratic Norms ◽

The Impact

The main hypothesis of this paper is that when it comes to its member states, the European Union does not possess effective legal and political mechanisms to sanction and/or reverse their democratic backsliding. Emphasis is put on the examples of violations of liberal-democratic norms undertaken by governments in Hungary, Poland and Romania, in order to analyse political will, ability, and legitimacy of the European Union to defend basic values stated in the Founding Act. The aim of the author is to examine the impact of questionable political integration of Eastern European countries in regards to the continuation of the enlargement of the Union in the region of the Western Balkans. It is concluded that due to the pragmatic policy of support to the stabilitocracy regimes and, in general, due to the ambivalent attitude towards the future of enlargement, the European Union could face negative consequences in the coming years. Conceding to candidate countries in fulfilling the Copenhagen criteria in exchange for meeting the current geopolitical interests of the European elites (as was the case in some of the earlier EU enlargements) would have following implications for the Union itself: first, internally, casting further doubts on already shaken credibility of the project to build a European identity based on common values; and secondly, externally, the loss of reputation of a normative power that facilitates global relations by spreading its own principles and values.

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THE IMPACT OF TRADE LIBERALIZATION OF BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA’S EXPORT TO EUROPEAN UNION

EMC Review - Časopis za ekonomiju - APEIRON ◽

10.7251/emc1901085o ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 17 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Haris Omerika ◽

Mehmedalija Hadžović

Keyword(s):

European Union ◽

Foreign Trade ◽

Trade Liberalization ◽

Bosnia And Herzegovina ◽

The European Union ◽

Western Balkans ◽

New Paradigm ◽

Eu Countries ◽

The Impact ◽

The Eu

One of the basic and strategic goals of post-war Bosnia and Herzegovina is a full membership in the European Union. During 1992-1995, Bosnia and Herzegovina has passed through one of the most difficult periods in its’ history. The war has completely devastated the economical structure and the aftermaths were visible in the following years. As a new paradigm, the European Union appears. The European Union has helped the Western Balkans countries to overcome national tensions and offered them a new perspective; new regional and european integrations should be a new, historical chance for them. In the light of this, the focus of this paper is the impact of trade liberalization between the European Union and Bosnia and Herzegovina on the export from Bosnia and Herzegovina to European Union. The above mentioned impact has been observed in the period of eleven years. The total export amount of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2015 was 4,6 billion euros, while the amount of the import was 8,1 billion euros, which makes nearly 60% in favor of import. Traditionally, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s most important foreign trade partner is the European Union where Bosnia and Herzegovina has a deficit in foreign trade. The portion of export to EU during 2015 was 71,79% while the portion of import was 60,85%. The coverage of import over export was 66,89%. In the period of 2005-2015, most of the products have been placed to markets in Croatia, Germany, Italy, and Serbia, which is not the EU member. The process of trade liberalization in 2015 has resulted in surplus of trade with certain EU countries; Austria, Luxembourg and Estonia while the decrease in trade has been recorded with Germany, Slovenia and Czech Republic. Regarding the export, Bosnia and Herzegovina mailny places products which have labour-intensive character. In the econometrics analysis, extented gravitational models of trade have been placed. Besides the abovementioned, the following econometrical techinques have been used: panel data models (PD), fixed effecs models (RE) and panel corrected standard errors (PCSE). In addition, Hausman test has been applied. According to the analysis that has been carried out, the following has been concluded; InGDPi, InGDPj and InDISTij variables are statistically important on the level of 5% in the period of gradual liberalization. The SSP1 an EK variables are not siginificant.In the other moder, in the period of complete liberalization InGDPi, InGDPj and SSP2 variables have a significant impact on a dependent variable on a level of 5%. InDISTij and EK variables have a significant impact on a level od 5% as well. The above mentioned result confirm the research hypothesis; trade liberalization has a significant impact on the export of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the EU. The basic limit of this research can be a relatively short observation period, caused by the fact that the data of merchandise trade between Bosnia and Herzegovina and EU countries until 2005 are not accessible.

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Firm productivity in the western Balkans: The impact of European Union membership and access to finance

Economic Annals ◽

10.2298/eka1715007h ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 62 (215) ◽

pp. 7-51

Author(s):

P. Howard-Jones ◽

J. Hцlscher ◽

D. Radicic

Keyword(s):

European Union ◽

Distribution Curve ◽

Separate Analysis ◽

The European Union ◽

Western Balkans ◽

Conditional Quantile ◽

Multiple Treatment ◽

Eu Membership ◽

The Impact ◽

Positive Effect

This study examines the productivity performance of Balkan firms within and outside the European Union (EU), including the influence of loans. A multiple treatment model is used to compare the effects on productivity of membership and loans both separately and collectively, which in the case of loans allows a separate analysis of their influence on firms in non-member states. The use of conditional quantile regressions measures the effect on productivity of membership and loans separately as treatment variables. This provides an analysis of where the treatment influence is greatest across the distribution curve and identifies the significance of selected control variables on the outcome. In the full sample, the findings indicate that EU membership and loans have a positive effect on productivity, with membership being more important than loans. Outside the EU, firms in receipt of loans are more productive than those without. However, the significance of both membership and loans is restricted to the lower end of the productivity distribution curve. The manufacturing sample shows that EU membership has a significant positive effect across 70% of the deciles measured, whilst the influence of loans is restricted to the lower deciles, with rental capital (leasing) also positively significant in the lower four deciles. In the services sector, however, membership is significant up to 90% of the distribution, with loans at 60%.

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The Impact of EU Political Conditionality on Minority Rights in Western Balkans: Insights from the Croatian Enlargement

Journal of Educational and Social Research ◽

10.5901/jesr.2017.v7n1p81 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

pp. 81-89

Author(s):

Odeta Berberi

Keyword(s):

European Union ◽

Minority Rights ◽

The European Union ◽

Western Balkans ◽

Political Conditionality ◽

Accession Countries ◽

Accession Process ◽

Enlargement Strategy ◽

The Impact ◽

The Eu

Abstract The present paper addresses the following questions: In what way have the European Union (EU) political conditionality affect minority rights in the Western Balkan (WB) region? Did the EU political conditionality on minority issues succeed in addressing the stateness problems in Croatia? With the term “impact” I mean the absorption of formal and informal rules, procedures, norms and practices and I am going to analyze the relation European Union/Western Balkans as unidirectional i.e. the transposing of EU rules on accession countries. In the first part of this work I will analyse the EU standard of minority rights (internal dimension) and compare it with the norm ‘content’ in its external dimension. In the second part, the EU approach concerning minority rights toward the WB region, will be explored. In order to do so I will analyse the Enlargement Strategy and Main Challenges produced by the European Commission (EC) from 2004. In the above document the EC emphasize the main challenges and set out the priorities for the whole region, considered as a single entity. In Western Balkans region we do have an example of recent accession. For this reason, the empirical analysis of this paper will focus on the pre-accession process of one of the new member states, Croatia. In the end I will draw some conclusions concerning the future prospects of the WB region concerning the EU conditionality and the real impact of minority right in the process.

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The Mental Health and Social Exclusion European Network

European Psychologist ◽

10.1027//1016-9040.5.3.245 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 5 (3) ◽

pp. 245-251 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Luigi Leonori ◽

Manuel Muñoz ◽

Carmelo Vázquez ◽

José J. Vázquez ◽

Mary Fe Bravo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

European Union ◽

Social Exclusion ◽

Mentally Ill ◽

Outcome Evaluation ◽

World Federation ◽

The European Union ◽

Capital Cities ◽

Homeless Mentally Ill ◽

The Impact

This report concerns the activities developed by the Mental Health and Social Exclusion (MHSE) Network, an initiative supported by the Mental Health Europe (World Federation of Mental Health). We report some data from the preliminary survey done in five capital cities of the European Union (Madrid, Copenhagen, Brussels, Lisbon, and Rome). The main aim of this survey was to investigate, from a mostly qualitative point of view, the causal and supportive factors implicated in the situation of the homeless mentally ill in Europe. The results point out the familial and childhood roots of homelessness, the perceived causes of the situation, the relationships with the support services, and the expectations of future of the homeless mentally ill. The analysis of results has helped to identify the different variables implicated in the social rupture process that influences homelessness in major European cities. The results were used as the basis for the design of a more ambitious current research project about the impact of the medical and psychosocial interventions in the homeless. This project is being developed in 10 capital cities of the European Union with a focus on the program and outcome evaluation of the health and psychosocial services for the disadvantaged.

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