The European Integration Process of Western Balkans, Time for a New Approach

Abstract

The paper tries to prove that the initiatives for the integration of the Western Balkans in EU, both those generated from outside and those from inside the region, seem to be without a clear product. Using Albania as a case study, we compare the effectiveness of the Berlin Process and the Open Balkans in the perception of young people. The paper sheds light on the data and facts which show that the objectives of the Berlin process and those of the Open Balkans are not fulfilled at all. We seek to answer questions like: Was the Berlin process a retaining, encouraging or simply failed strategy? Did the Open Balkans increase division or collaboration in the region? Through the comparative approach, it is demonstrated that integration still seems far away and the challenges that are holding it back are both political and economic ones. Considering the resurgence of old conflicts in Western Balkan countries due to slow processes and the impact of new geopolitical developments on the region, this paper seeks to address whether ensuring the European perspective for the Western Balkans is possible through a targeted intervention of both economic and political measures. Simultaneously, the paper explores the potential for alternative initiatives in this context. It is also analyzed whether these interventions should be imposed from outside the region or encouraged by the region itself. The paper concludes that a rapid European response is required today through new initiatives mostly based on a crucial financial framework and a stronger political approach. Reconstructing the region in economic terms and remodeling the Western Balkan societies could be as successful as it resulted for European states itself after War World II through the Marshall Plan. 

Received: 6 October 2023 / Accepted: 25 December 2023 / Published: 5 January 2024