STUCK IN THE EUROPEAN UNION ACCESSION PROCESS: VIEWS FROM NORTH MACEDONIA AND SERBIA

Abstract

After 23 years since the establishment of the European perspective for
the Western Balkans, at the Thessaloniki European Council Summit in
2003, the Republic of North Macedonia and the Republic of Serbia are
stuck in their European integration processes and far from full EU
membership. Although the two countries are at different stages of the
accession negotiations, there are similarities and differences determined
by the national approaches to European integration. On the other hand,
the EU institutions in the accession negotiations with these candidate
countries, as well as with the other countries of the Western Balkans,
instead of reaching an agreement and highlighting a clear political will
for enlargement, providing strong support for the process based on
criteria and results, are essentially introducing new criteria and new
modalities of accession. We are witnessing bilateral issues that
“magically” become European or different approaches to the territorial
integrity that the EU is currently defending in Ukraine, the rule of law
and democratic processes that are also regressing and becoming a
challenge also in individual EU member states.
Although the EU enlargement policy is often assessed as successful and
largely depends on the reform potential of the candidate countries, we
are witnessing the disastrous results of the enlargement policy in the
Western Balkans, to which the EU and its institutions have contributed
in no small way. The war in Ukraine woke up the EU, raising the
enlargement process high on the list of priorities, which now also
carries a pronounced geostrategic and security component. The Western
Balkans were neglected and put on the back burner, due to the need for
internal reform of the Union, the introduction of a new methodology in
the negotiation process and often with a sense of experimentation and
the creation of new additional conditions in the accession process.
Using the historical method and analyzing the legal norms and current
developments in the EU related to the enlargement process, the author
conducts research that shows the specifics of the enlargement or accession process, bilateral disputes and the Union's increased
sensitivity to the rule of law and the values of the Union. They
contribute to the stagnation of North Macedonia and Serbia in the
accession process, which seems to be becoming an impossible mission,
with a logical constant decline in popularity and trust in the EU among
the citizens of both countries.
accession process. The emphasis is placed on the changes in the accession process, bilateral disputes and the Union's increased
sensitivity to the rule of law and the values of the Union. They
contribute to the stagnation of North Macedonia and Serbia in the
accession process, which seems to be becoming an impossible mission,
with a logical constant decline in popularity and trust in the EU among
the citizens of both countries.