Political and Economic Cooperation in the Western Balkans – Opportunities and Obstacles

Zirojević Fatić, Mina and Jelisavac Trošić, Sanja (2011) Political and Economic Cooperation in the Western Balkans – Opportunities and Obstacles. In: Japan and Serbia: regional cooperation and border issues : a comparative analysis / Proceedings of Round Table Conference, September 9-10, 2010, [Belgrade]. Institute for International Politics and Economics, Belgrade, pp. 181-190. ISBN 978-86-7067-157-7

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Abstract

The development of regional cooperation is in the best interests of all the western Balkan countries: it is a key factor for establishing political stability, security and economic prosperity. In this article we will try to explain that regional cooperation is therefore a cornerstone of the EU’s policy framework for the western Balkans — the stabilization and association process, which offers to the countries of the region the possibility of eventual EU membership. There is a sweeping consensus among regional elites as well as European and American policymakers, analysts and scholars that the cornerstone of any strategy for stabilizing and revitalizing the region must be the prospect of EU membership. Over the last decade, and especially since 2000, all Western Balkan states have made progress in building democratic institutions, addressing severe economic backwardness, promoting regional cooperation and improving inter-ethnic relations.

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