CIVIL SOCIETY IN THE WESTERN BALKANS: Involvement in the EU Accession Negotiation and EU Integration Processes from Initiatives to a Structured Dialogue

Year of publication: 2019
Authors: Jovana Marović, Ivan Stefanovski, Ivana Ivanovik
Available in following language: English, Macedonian, Serbian, Albanian

Following the accession of Romania and Bulgaria, and especially after Croatia joined the full membership to the EU, the European Commission placed an increased emphasis on the CSO inclusion in the accession process. The reasons are two-folded: 1) to ensure proper implementation and monitoring of the EU-related reforms; and 2) to increase the transparency of the process and thereby, ensure support among the citizens of the Western Balkan countries. This study aims to explore the dynamic and forms of public participation in the EU integration process across the entire Western Balkans region. Due to different country experiences and different stages in the process, the study examines those countries that are conducting accession negotiations – Montenegro and Serbia – separate from those that still hold potential candidate's status or have perspective of opening negotiations – North Macedonia, Albania, Bosnia and Hercegovina and Kosovo.