Fast-paced or sluggish? The EU accession of the Western Balkans amidst geostrategic rivalries

The Western Balkans are of high geostrategic importance for the European Union. Marina Vulović and Florian Bieber discuss how the European integration of the countries in the region can be achieved and how geopolitical shifts - from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to the rise of China – are impacting this process.

Guests:

Marina Vulović PhD is a research associate at SWP’s EU/Europe research division. She explores the geostrategic importance of the Western Balkans for the EU and beyond. She is working for the project Geostrategic competition for the EU in the Western Balkans - Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (swp-berlin.org) Florian Bieber PhD is a professor of Southeast European History and Politics and Director of the Centre for Southeast European Studies at the University of Graz, Austria. He coordinates the Balkans in Europe Policy Advisory Group (BiEPAG).

Host: Esme Nicholson

** Recommended Reading:**

Marina Vulović Economic Relations between the Western Balkans and Non-EU Countries How the EU can respond to challenges concerning direct investment, trade and energy security SWP Comment 2023/C 36, 07.07.2023, 8 Pages

Marina Vulović Western Balkan Foreign and Security Ties with External Actors An arena of geostrategic rivalry for the EU or a local power struggle? SWP Comment 2023/C 08, 09.02.2023, 8 Pages

Marina Vulović, Margit Wunsch Gaarmann European Political Community: Opportunities for the Western Balkans Point of View, 27.06.2023

Marina Vulović Serbia and Kosovo: EU-Backed Agreement Seeks Regional Stability bti-project.org, 31.05.2023

Florian Bieber Pulverfass Balkan Wie Diktaturen Einfluss in Europa nehmen

Jovana Marović, Milica Delević Keeping the Thessaloniki promise: How to make Enlargement work for all 20 years later? biepag.eu, 22.06.2023

Florian Bieber Serbia’s Staged Balancing Act Georgetown Journal of International Affairs (GJIA), 07.08.2023