FROM NEO-BALKANIZATION TO EUROPEANIZATION: INSTITUTIONAL CHANGE AND REGIONAL COOPERATION IN THE WESTERN BALKANS

The wars in former yugoslavia carried the balkans into a new historical stage in which integration with western institutions started to be perceived as an ultimate goal of the region’s governments. on the other side of the fence, the european union (eu) chose to take advantage of the changes in the region to eliminate some trans-border security problems, which the ethno-political conflicts there exposed. the eu has promoted regional cooperation and institutional change for the sake of its-own geopolitical re-assertion after the collapse of ideological status quo in the region. its eu’s eastward enlargement enhanced hopes and expectations among the western balkan states and peoples suffering from the wreckage brought by the fall of communism and the socio-political and economic devastation caused by the yugoslav war of dissolution at the end of the 20th century. in this context, this paper will aim to evaluate the eu’s policies toward the western balkans after the disintegration of yugoslavia.