The European Union and Southeastern Europe

The future of Southeastern Europe and connected EU policies are a much more important issue than just guaranteeing regional stability and sustainable modernization in the «backyard of Europe». The credibility of the EU, as a global «soft power» is at stake, with far reaching consequences on the future of the European integration, affecting both further enlargement and urgently needed deepening. The strategy oriented analysis commissioned by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation Budapest is based on an interdisciplinary approach with clear emphasis on economic issues, such as global, EU-related and intra-regional trade, foreign direct investments, labour market, migration and financial transfers. Domestic developments and EU relations of the individual Southeastern European countries are compared to each other and to the experience of other transforming countries of Central and Eastern Europe, already full members of the European Union. Special attention is paid to conditionality requirements, recent changes and ongoing dilemmas of the EU's strategy towards the Western Balkans in a critical period of the region, both regarding their different speed and quality of preparing for full-fledged membership and the potential consequences of the future status of Kosovo.

Autorentext

The Author: András Inotai has been director general of the Institute for World Economics, Budapest since 1991. In the 1970s, he worked in Germany and in Peru, and joined the World Bank in Washington D.C. in 1989. Professor of the College of Europe (Bruges and Natolin) since the early 1990s, and Visiting Professor at Columbia University (New York) in 2002. His key research areas include regional integration with special reference to economic developments in and enlargement of the European Union, globalization, international direct capital flows, comparative survey of economic transformation in Central and Southeastern Europe.

Inhalt

Contents: Institutional relations between the EU and Southeastern Europe Basic features of macroeconomic performance in regional comparison. Achievements, barriers, policy dilemmas and tasks Selected special issues influencing relations between the EU and SEE Southeastern Europe and its international actors Evaluation of the Key EU Approach to Southeastern Europe: The Politics of Conditionality Agenda for the Future and Recommendations Conclusions.