Balkans in the European Union

In 2003, in Salonica, Balkan countries were told that “their future lies in the EU”. The Berlin process in 2014 provided a framework for a period of four years. In 2017, President Juncker, speaking of all non-EU Balkan countries except Turkey, estimated the first accessions would potentially take place in 2025! The Berlin process seeks to restore stability in the Balkans by leading to reconciliation. It includes new fact-finding commissions to establish the real facts in order to restore friendly relations, efforts to build economic links in transport and communication and new roads, establishment of a Western Balkan Common Market as a new partner for the EU, EFTA, and the EEA, and a new partnership among its member countries. The European Council will meet the Balkan heads of state in Sofia, Bulgaria, in April 2018. Without stability in the Balkans, there cannot be a stable Europe. In this paper we look at how to keep the Berlin process open and successful, possibly to accelerate it, and how to overcome current challenges. Notably, we look at the “deterioration of democratic standards” in some countries, which will have to be stopped and reversed. The conclusions support positive decision-making outcomes at all levels