The Role of European Economic Diplomacy in the Western Balkans

ABSTRACT.Considerable research attention has focused on the EU's engagement with the Western Balkans, the blurring of the boundaries between the state and society, the reinvigoration of the concept of civil society, and the EU's current role in Kosovo. The theory that I shall seek to elaborate here puts considerable emphasis on the way in which the EU has played a role in developing civil society in the Western Balkans, the inseparability of transitional processes in societies emerging from illiberal rule and conflict in a globalized context, the contribution of civil society to the processes of change, and the critical role of civil society beyond initiating the democratic change.JEL Codes: A13, H7,N4Keywords: Western Balkans; EU; state; society; transition1. IntroductionThe mainstay of the paper is formed by an analysis of the relationship between civil society and the rule of law in the Western Balkans, the variety of state-building practices promoted by the EU, the emergence of democratic institutions, and the role of civil society in the processes of political, economic and social transition. The results of the current study converge with prior research on the process of transition in the Western Balkans, the EU's formal position of Kosovo's statehood, the global context of multiple transitions in the Western Balkans, and the practice of democratization in the Western Balkan region.2. The EU Integration Process in the Western BalkansThe EU seeks to transform the domestic structures of the Western Balkan countries in order to foster peace, stability and prosperity, offering its South Eastern European neighbors a membership perspective. Misfit is the key determinant of the costs actors face in the adoption of and adaption to EU norms and rules. Weak state capacities and ethnic conflicts have reduced both their willingness and capacity to implement the acquis communautaire. Problems of limited statehood have curbed the transformative power of the EU in the Western Balkans (limited statehood is the main impediment for the Western Balkans on their road to Brussels). The EU has offered the Western Balkans a membership perspective to stabilize the region and overcome problems caused by weak and contested statehood, whereas the limited statehood of Western Balkan countries undermines their compliance with EU norms and rules. The CEE had made steady progress towards becoming consolidated democracies with functioning market economies. The EU has not been able to replicate the success story of Eastern enlargement in the Western Balkans. (Borzel, 2013) In Europe, pressure for democratization is often reinforced by intrusive strategies like EU conditionality. Reforms can take place, and new institutions may be established and strengthened, but in an environment of weak state legitimacy these institutions may not be used to strengthen and consolidate the state itself. Democratization provides the arena for change and dictates the room for maneuver that local political actors have. Liberal democracy is a competing political ideology within this wider framework of change. (Edmunds, 2009)Kosovo is hampered by economic and political deficiencies, and its situation is rendered more complex by virtue of its contested status. The key task facing the EU is ensuring that Kosovo develops the institutions of governance. Options to enhance daily life for the inhabitants of Kosovo can be pursued despite differences between member states over its status. The EU is central to Kosovo's existence in investment and trade terms. The long-term sustainable economic development (Yuan, 2013) will be achieved through the state-building policies of the EU. Many of the EU's initiatives in Kosovo aim to bolster democratic practices and institutions. The EU is open to constructive debate and pragmatic solutions (Bacalu, 2013) on how to forge closer ties with Kosovo. Informal processes and procedures are not applicable in terms of entering into a formal relationship with the EU. …