On 5 February, the Commission launched the Communication on “Strengthening the accession process: A credible EU perspective for the Western Balkans”. It was endorsed by the Council on 25th of March 2020, with the aim to drive forward the EU accession process, by making it more credible, more dynamic and predictable.
Has this been the case? What are the long-term effects of this modification? Has the methodology changed the accession process for good? Is the methodology being applied even since? Are the same rules applied for the new negotiating countries as for the once already negotiating? What is current state of play in the Western Balkans? This are all question that this policy paper will examine. Based on the findings, the authors would formulate recommendation how the goals and objectives of the new methodology could be achieved and really produce the effect and have a ground-breaking impact on the democratisation and Europeanisation of the countries in the Western Balkans. This policy paper is a product of more than dozens of policy documents written by the authors on the topic.
Read the analysis of the Vice-President of the European Movement in Serbia Vladimir Medjak here.
