THE EUROPEAN INTEGRATION OF THE WESTERN BALKANS AND THE EU’S LACK OF COMMITMENT: THE CASE OF THE UNILATERAL EUROIZATION OF MONTENEGRO AND KOSOVO

Abstract

Saying that the European integration of the Western Balkans is a frustratingly stagnating
process is commonplace, given that only Croatia and Slovenia successfully completed the
procedure to obtain full EU membership. The reasons why all of the other countries in
the region are still lagging behind are multifaceted and complex and, on many occasions,
relevant issues are widely unaddressed. The unilateral adoption of the Euro by Montenegro
and Kosovo is one of the neglected problems since the fact that Euro is the legal tender in
these countries is incompatible with the Maastricht Criteria. There is no intention of denying
that Montenegro and Kosovo present other structural problems that hinder their EU accession
process. Nevertheless, this research paper aims at pointing out that the European institutions
do not seem to be properly tackling the paradoxical situation emerging from the unilateral
Euroization of Montenegro and Kosovo. Therefore, lack of regulation is presented as a
relevant case in which the lack of commitment of the European Union towards the integration
of the Western Balkans is regretfully visible. It can be thus understood that the European
Union is largely responsible for the failure of the enlargement process towards the Western
Balkans as it has not proven able to provide the countries in the region with the necessary
tools for overcoming the obstacles present on the way to European membership. Without
a more solid engagement in the Western Balkans’ accession process, the European Union
clearly fails at establishing itself as a credible international actor.