Overview

This volume casts a fresh look on how the political spaces of the Western Balkan states (Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Macedonia and Albania) are shaped, governed and transformed during the EU accession process.

Key Arguments

The contributors argue that EU conditionality in the Western Balkans does not work effectively in terms of social change because rule transfer remains a contested business, due to veto-players on the ground and strong legacies of the past.

Focus Areas

The volume examines specific policy areas, salient in the enlargement process and to a different degree incorporated in the accession criteria, as well as EU foreign policy in the spheres of post-conflict stabilisation, democratization and the rule of law promotion.