институт за европска политика скопје

The EU as a promoter of democracy or ‘stabilitocracy’ in the Western Balkans?

byИнститут за европска политика

Starting from August 2021, the Think for Europe Network (TEN) commenced its work on the research project “the EU as a promoter of democracy or ‘stabilitocracy’ in the Western Balkans?”. This project is implemented in partnership with the Netherlands Institute of International Relations ‘Clingendael’.

Through its enlargement policies the EU tries to foster democratisation in the Western Balkan region. Now that further reforms in a number of countries only progress slowly or seem even deadlocked, more and more attention is being paid to the negative side-effects of EU policies. The literature on EU enlargement notes that, in spite of their democratic objectives, EU strategies and policies unintentionally contribute to the formation of so-called stabilitocracies in the region: countries with obvious democratic shortcomings that at the same time claim to provide pro-EU stability.

The research project focuses on the six countries of the Western Balkans. For each country, it assesses how flaws in the EU’s enlargement policies as identified in the literature play out in practice by offering a reflection on the applicability of the theoretical framework for the specific country, underpinned by an assessment of a number of case studies.

The project will be carried out throughout 2021 and will culminate in a Clingendael report in English with 6 contributions from TEN partners, one for each country of the Western Balkan Six.

This project is financed by the Netherlands’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defence.

Clients: Netherlands’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Netherlands’ Ministry of Defence

Implementers: the Netherlands Institute of International Relations ‘Clingendael’ in collaboration with the Think for Europe network.

Продолжи со читање

  • Request for Offer – Supply and Installation of Refrigerator

      Request for Offer – Supply and Installation of Refrigerator Within the project “Empowering Rural: Fostering Sustainability in Local Communities”, the Center for Education and Development (CED), in partnership with the Agricultural Cooperative Shari, is seeking offers for the supply and installation of a refrigerator to enhance the market opportunities of local agricultural producers. Interested…

  • The Metamorphosis Foundation presented its “Disinfo Radar” at the Paris Peace Forum 2025

    The Metamorphosis Foundation, through its “Disinfo Radar”, has been selected among the 30 solutions presented at the Paris Peace Forum 2025, a global platform that highlights concrete innovations for peace and democratic resilience. This selection represents strong international recognition of Metamorphosis’ long-term leadership in addressing disinformation in the Western Balkans. The Forum is held in […]
    The post The Metamorphosis Foundation presented its “Disinfo Radar” at the Paris Peace Forum 2025 first appeared on Metamorphosis.

  • The Oval table – “Facing Challenges and Stigmatization”

    The Association of Persons with Cerebral Palsy and Other Disabilities – Veles, together with their partnering organizations “Message – Negotino” and EcoLife-Kavadarci, as part of the project “Facing Challenges and Stigmatization”, issued a public survey about the problems that families with persons with disabilities are facing, and the possible solutions during medical treatments of persons […]
    The post The Oval table – “Facing Challenges and Stigmatization” appeared first on Здружение на лица со церебрална парализа и други попречености – Велес.

  • Media freedom, a prerequisite for EU enlargement

    To advance in their European integration path, Western Balkan candidate countries must ensure media freedom and pluralism. For Montenegro and North Macedonia, this means moving beyond formal commitments and proving through concrete actions that democratic reforms are more than words on paper. A couple of weeks ago, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen visited […]
    The post Media freedom, a prerequisite for EU enlargement first appeared on Metamorphosis.

  • CED seeks Marketing Consultant for develop a sustainable business model

    CED seeks Marketing Consultant for develop a sustainable business model Within the framework of the project “Empowering Rural: Fostering Sustainability in Local Communities”, the Center for Education and Development (CED), in partnership with the Agricultural Cooperative Shari, announces a call for engagement of a consultant to develop a sustainable business model aligned with the cooperative’s…