Twenty years after the collapse of Yugoslavia and the communist regime in Albania, the western Balkans region is at a turning point. Slovenia is in the EU, Croatia is very close and all the region's other countries have started along the EU path.
But although EU integration is already bringing democracy and stability, it is an unfinished job whose completion will be critical. The present economic crisis is leading public opinion in the western Balkans to be less certain about whether peace and socio-economic growth are still within reach. The risk is of a possible slowing down of the integration process.
As a whole, the region has made notable progress in terms of stability, democracy and security. Pro-European governments are now in place across the region and democratic reforms seem to be an increasingly effective cure for the instability created by nationalism and ethnic strains. The key issue is to ensure that the western Balkans keeps its focus on the European agenda, and that means the EU must provide guidance and encouragement through tangible initiatives.
That is why at the EU-U.S. summit in Prague last year I suggested an eight-pronged initiative, some of which have now been fully or partially taken up. New EU membership applications confirm the desire of the Balkans governments to engage seriously in internal reforms. But the road to EU membership involves painful sacrifice, so each country should be judged on its own reforms. We need to give clear signs to public opinion in the region that meeting EU benchmarks has tangible effects on their lives. The case of Serbia is emblematic of this as public support there for the EU process has risen sharply in a few months from 40% to 60% thanks to the EU's decision to liberalise the visa regime. The EU process is also proving a powerful driver for much-needed reform in Bosnia for despite the worrisome stalemate in the political dialogue there, the chance to grab the “low-hanging fruit” of visa liberalisation encouraged the Bosnian leadership to make a serious effort in a relatively short timescale.
The goal of EU membership has over the last 20 years proved a winning asset for stabilising, democratising and modernising the western Balkans. Now it is up to leaders in the region to overcome the remaining obstacles, starting with an understanding between Belgrade and Pristina over Kosovo. The EU’s ability to overcome "enlargement fatigue" and maintain its commitments to the region are also dependent on public support, so we must not stint in our efforts to stress the political and economic advantages of the western Balkans’ integration into the EU.