The European Union and the Western Balkan countries

Osnovni cilj Europske Unije je promicati mir, stabilnost i gospodarski razvoj u državama zapadnog Balkana, a posljedično i integriranje ovih zemalja u EU. Danas Crna Gora, Srbija, Sjeverna Makedonija i Albanija imaju status zemlje kandidata za ulazak u EU, a Bosna i Hercegovina i Kosovo status zemlje potencijalnog kandidata. Najizgledniji ulazak u Europsku Uniju u bliskoj budućnosti imaju Srbija i Crna Gora koje su napravile već veliki iskorak na svom pristupnom putu, dok druge zemlje također teže bržoj integraciji. Među mnoštvom problema s kojima su suočene, prije svega lošim susjedskim odnosima, uzrok sporog integracijskog procesa leži i u tome što domaće političke elite teško pronalaze kompromis između onoga što Europska Unija zahtjeva od svake države kandidatkinje i onogo što očekuje domaća javnost. Ipak, politika širenja EU-a nalazi se u osnovi nastanka i razvoja EU-a, pa u bliskoj budućnosti možemo vjerovati da će zemlje zapadnog Balkana vremenom integrirati u Europsku Uniju.The main goal of the European Union is to promote peace, stability and economic development in the countries of Western Balkans , and consecutively, integration of the aforementioned countries into the EU. Today, Montenegro, Serbia, Northern Macedonia and Albania have the status for future membership of the EU while Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo have the status of potential candidates. Serbia and Montenegro have already made a major leap forwards on their access path, have the best prospects for entering the EU in the near future, with the other countries also striving towards a faster integration. Amongst a myriad of problems they're facing, first and foremost being bad relations with neighbouring countries, the cause for a slow integration process lies also in the fact that domestic political elites find it hard to compromise between what the EU demands of each candidate country and what domestic public expects. However, the EU expansion policy is in the heart of its origin and development. Therefore, it is likely that the Western Balkans countries will eventually enter the EU in the near future