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Tales from the Region

(Dis)Integration of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the European Union

Махир Сијамија

17.02.21

Mahir Sijamija We cannot expect Bosnia and Herzegovina, or any other candidate country, to join the EU until we develop antibodies to the virus of corruption, crime and nationalist policies that still paralyze Western Balkans. History has shown that, over the...

Eight years later: Is Croatia finally truly ready for Europe?

Бојана Губерац (Bojana Guberac)

15.02.21

Bojana Guberac Croatia joined the European Union on the first day of July, 2013. Many feared joining the EU for various reasons. One of the reasons for such fears related to what the EU would bring us. Yet, nearly eight years later, I have the impression that it is no...

Greece’s EU journey: Solidarity hard to come by, but two-way approach also lacking

Александра Вудури (Alexandra Voudouri)

12.02.21

Alexandra Voudouri This year Greece will celebrate its 40th anniversary as a member of one of the strongest clubs in the world, the European Union. Greece’s European journey has been quite bumpy and brought the country to the edge of an exit from the Union. Learning...

Some Sad Lessons the Western Balkans Can Learn from Bulgaria’s EU Journey

Радосвета Василева

10.02.21

Radosveta Vassileva In 2007, we were so happy and proud to be finally in that mythological space, this pretentious club for the chosen ones known as the EU. Thirteen years after accession, however, this European dream looks more like a nightmare. In the late 1990s and...

Running in the Wrong Direction: Rama’s Spat with the EU Over Vaccination Underlines Growing Frustration

Алфонс Ракаџ (Alfonc Rakaj)

08.02.21

Alfonc Rakaj However tempting or justifiable it may be, Mr. Rama and his regional colleagues would do well not to bite on the hand that “feeds” their people, invest in their future and build their schools. The public spillover of criticism towards the EU marks a...

‘Somewhere in the Middle’: Kosovo’s delicate relations with the European Union

Бутринт Бериша (Butrint Berisha)

05.02.21

Butrint Berisha EU’s internal political developments, led to its inability to implement a consistent and cohesive policy towards Kosovo, which has been demonstrated in the case of the visa liberalization. Currently Kosovo is the only country in the region which is...

The Macedonian Path to Brussels: Breaking the Vicious Cycle

Малинка Ристевска Јорданова

03.02.21

Malinka Ristevska Jordanova Ultimately, we should acknowledge that the EU cannot simply come up with a recipe that will grant us a better life. We must have our own vision and our own plan. Some fifteen years ago, while talking to another veteran in the EU integration...

EU enlargement – a moving target that is moving farther and farther away

Дина Бајрамспахиќ (Dina Bajramspahic)

01.02.21

Dina Bajramspahic In 2020, none of the six countries of the Western Balkans has made progress in the process of European integration. It is true that they could have done more, but this still begs the question of whether the process itself “is working” if...

Who is left dreaming the European dream in Serbia?

Катарина Тадиќ

29.01.21

Katarina Tadic Serbia started negotiations back in 2014, yet today the country seems further from the EU than it was five years ago. The accession of the Western Balkans to the European Union (EU) has been ongoing for eighteen years, since the distant 2003, when all...

The economic price of rigorous measures in BiH

Данијал Хаџовиќ (Danijal Hadzovic)

14.10.20

Danijal Hadzovic This pandemic might be a chance to implement more profound economic reforms that are much needed for the country, and for which the crisis could be a great opportunity. Bosnia and Herzegovina initially decided to fight the coronavirus by introducing...