Book Description

The aim of this book is to highlight the relationship between the EU and the Western Balkan countries in light of their EU membership perspective and the impact that the EU Enlargement of Central and Eastern European countries at the beginning of the twenty first century has given to the Western Balkans. The book presents, in depth, the dual relationship between the EU and the Western Balkans. On the one hand it displays the continuous EU role in the Western Balkans, in particular in issues such as: the EU accession criteria; the EU approach and enlargement strategy; the visa liberalization process; the Stabilization and Association Process; the Stabilization and Association Agreements; instruments of financial assistance; the EU role in restoring and keeping peace and stability and in increasing the regional cooperation among the Western Balkans countries. On the other hand, it presents and analyses the progress the Western Balkans have achieved and the challenges faced such as: initially with the implementation of the bilateral Free Trade Agreements and then the regional Free Trade Agreement and the Stabilization and Association Agreements; nature and effects of these agreements in developing markets, in increasing trade exchanges among the Western Balkans countries; the progress each country has made toward lasting growth and in fulfilling the criteria of the EU integration process. The book reflects the regional approach of EU towards those countries while differentiating the individual progress in each country. This gives the book an interdisciplinary character. The latest enlargement experiences of the EU are used as a comparison for the current EU policy towards Western Balkans, while confirming a clear integration perspective for the region.