Regional cooperation is a pillar of the stabilisation and association process of the Western Balkan countries, and has been considered as an opportunity to overcome the existing divisions between the civil societies in these countries. Over the past two decades, the number of regional cooperation initiatives has increased significantly, while the enlargement process has slowed down.
The project seeks to improve the understanding of regional cooperation mechanisms and initiatives that contribute to the European integration agenda of the six Western Balkan countries, in order to be able to further strengthen the virtuous paths. The research work aims to identify and analyse the existing regional cooperation initiatives in the region, comparing them to the empirical analysis of the Berlin Process experience. In addition, the project intends to explore the reasons for the success of the Berlin Process and the role played by the political elites and the European Commission in realising its intended goals.
OP-ED Open Balkan, a failed step in the right direction
Sava Mirković | 20/8/2024Conceived as an alternative to EU cooperation, the Open Balkan initiative, promoted by Serbia, Albania and North Macedonia, aimed to create a regional common market to allow the free movement of goods, services, capital and people. The reasons for its failure
INTERVIEW Western Balkans, EU integration and cooperation
Gentiola Madhi | 26/7/2024"We must go beyond the idea that the Western Balkans are a sort of ghetto made up of non-EU countries. This would contribute not only to the Europeanisation of the Western Balkans, but also to overcoming some disagreements between candidate countries and EU member states". Ana Krstinovska, founder and president of the think tank Estima based in Bitola, in North Macedonia and research fellow at the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP)
INTERVIEW Balkans: Still many obstacles to regional economic cooperation
Gentiola Madhi | 23/4/2024Regional economic cooperation has turned into the headline of EU-Balkans relations in the last months. But what’s the situation today in the Balkans? An interview with Nenad Đurđević, advisor to the President of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Head of the Regional Council for Strategic and Policy Initiatives
INTERVIEW Ćerimagić: Regional cooperation to be linked to EU membership
Gentiola Madhi | 11/3/2024The EU has invested considerable efforts in stimulating regional cooperation in the Balkans over the last decades, yet the results are questionable. Which are the reasons behind such slow progress and where does Bosnia and Herzegovina stand? We talked about it with Adnan Ćerimagić analyst at ESI
EUROPEAN UNION Balkans in the EU, towards a gradual integration?
Gentiola Madhi | 29/1/2024Stimulating convergence with EU countries, creating a regional common market and proceeding with sectoral integration in the European single market are among the objectives of the European Union's renewed engagement with the Western Balkan countries. But the path remains uphill
Events
Regional cooperation in the Western Balkans and gradual integration to the EU
5 Jun 2024 | Webinar | Online
Regional cooperation is a pillar of the EU integration and stabilization process of the Western Balkan countries. Over the past two decades, many regional cooperation initiatives increased in number, while the EU enlargement process faced a slowdown. In a context of uncharted waters for the enlargement process, this webinar aims at assessing the achievements of key regional mechanisms and initiatives in terms of reinforced WB6 regional cooperation and the prospects of these countries’ gradual integration to the EU.
Watch the recorded webinar "Regional cooperation in the Western Balkans and gradual integration to the EU"
Project partner:
This project is realized with the support of the Unit for Analysis, Policy Planning, Statistics and Historical Documentation - Directorate General for Public and Cultural Diplomacy of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, in accordance with Article 23 ‒ bis of the Decree of the President of the Italian Republic 18/1967.
The views expressed are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
