Western Balkans
The Balkans are struggling in the past years to recover from the devastating wars that accompanied the break-up of Yugoslavia and to direct their efforts toward integration in the Euro-Atlantic structures. At the moment neither the European Union nor NATO or the US are capable of paying as much attention as they did in the 90s. This to a large extent means that the countries from the region have to deal on their own with difficult problems, additionally being complicated by the tough economic atmosphere not only in Europe but globally too. euinside thinks that the region needs special attention and this is why we dedicate this subject to the most important things that are taking place in the region.

Some say that the EU-Western Balkans summit was a historic one. Others say it was successful. Without necessarily both claims to be false, their validity is wrong. It is explained that the summit was historic because it was the first in 15 years. The last summit with the Western Balkans (in the ...

Serbia and Croatia know very well they have to repair their relations. The former to be able to join the EU, and the latter to avoid being perceived by its partners as an opportunist. It seems, however, that both countries are doing their utmost to show that a repair is impossible. The latest in ...

For the first time, the vision of the European Union for future enlargements acquires a complete and comprehensive look. The strategy outlined on February 6 is the first truly meaningful document that finally made a link between expanding outward and absorbing it inside. The document is as targe ...

If you want to understand what is wrong in Bosnia and Herzegovina, it could help you watch consecutively the series of interviews which Deutsche Welle journalists, Zorica Ilic and Bahri Cena, made this month with the leaders of the three main ethnic groups in the Dayton country - Dragan Covic (o ...

The elections in Germany confirmed the victory of the CDU-CSU coalition, albeit with less votes than in past elections. Obviously, the result will not undermine Germany's role in Europe and in the Balkans, neither Chancellor Angela Merkel's position. The Chancellor remains a significant figure t ...

Against the backdrop of the incessant provocations of Serbia's Defence Minister Alexander Vulin to neighbouring countries, and especially Croatia, the draft [in Serbian language] of a new national security strategy, published for public discussion by his ministry, makes an unsuccessful ...

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker's tour of the six Western Balkan countries in end-February has revealed how late the EU is, how much it missed, and how little it does for a region which emerged in the past years as strategically crucial for the Union. The aim of the visit was t ...

Last year (2017) was not the year of the Western Balkans, as analyses can be read. This was the year of the EU's awakening to this volatile region in its immediate neighbourhood, and the realisation that it is of strategic importance to member states in time of a renewed geopolitical r ...

The Western Balkans will be a central priority of the Bulgarian EU Council presidency, which starts on January 1st. This is both a very good and a very bad piece of news. Very good because this region is strategically very important for the Union. Very bad because the subject is too big a spoon ...
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The EU is watching with some concern the developments of the situation in Spain, created by the desire of Catalonia to declare independence, as it could shake the Union in two separate directions - economic and political. A possible secession of the rich Spanish province could cause serious quak ...