Europeanisation meets democracy from below: The Western Balkans on search for new European and democratic Momentum - WB2EU

Splošne informacije

Rezultati / ključne ugotovitve

During the application process and at the start of this project in October 2020, there was little room for optimism for EU enlargement. At that time, the French "no" to opening negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania further aggravated the situation in the region. To regain momentum, the European Commission proposed a renewed enlargement methodology and prepared a communiqué for the Western Balkans Summit in Zagreb in May 2020. The Western Balkans were and are still facing deeply rooted structural problems ranging from a flawed state of democracy to state capture. While political elites claim to be democratic, they engage in clientelistic policies that prevented social inclusion and deepened cleavages. To involve more with democratic and emancipatory civic movements in the region, a particular focus on the social dimension of enlargement remains crucial. It is encouraging that today social engagement, calling for free and just societies, is on the rise and can initiate a new wave of democratisation and Europeanisation, thus becoming a true alternative to the current elite set-up. The next years will be decisive for the democratic and European future of the Western Balkans. In addition to a credible enlargement perspective and a positive enlargement narrative, it is still more vital than ever to support the rule of law, civil dialogue, pluralism, and the fight against corruption, as well as the social dimension. It is crucial to invest more in social inclusion to support the broad vision of just and democratic societies, which needs to include various bottom-up initiatives and actors.

Results - 1 Policy Brief by each partner per phase (overall 45 editions) - 1 kick-off event - 1 closing event - 6 “Ideas go public Labs” - 1 “Summer School” - a new online platform/website: www.wb2eu.eu (contains all project activities and results) - a series of videos, op-eds, and interviews - a final publication - intense social media and dissemination activities

Ključne besede

enlargement, eu, western balkans