Western Balkans
states from north to south: Serbia Bosnia and Herzegovina Montenegro Kosovo Albania North Macedonia
Western Balkans ( Serbo-Croatian : Zapadni Balkan / Западни Балкан) is a collective political term for the successor states of Yugoslavia and Albania . Those states that joined the European Union , i.e. Slovenia (2004) and Croatia (2013), are generally no longer included in this term.
Use of terms
The term was introduced as the terminus technicus at the EU summit in December 1998 in the language of the European Union . It was intended to designate those Southeastern European states that, after the accession of Romania and Bulgaria, represent the EU's next strategic enlargement goal. It is still used primarily by EU institutions and in social science research. The EU wanted to create a summarizing term for these states that is short and concise, as well as neutral.
Despite this original intention of the EU, there is resentment against this term, which is based on the partially negative connotations of the partial term Balkans . Criticism of the term “Western Balkans” is sparked primarily by the partial word “ Balkans ”. Although it was originally a neutral geographical term that referred to the Balkan Mountains or the Balkan Peninsula , the term is now historically loaded. Even Bismarck is said to have said that the Balkans are not worth the bones of a single Pomeranian grenadier . Many associate political instability, small states, economic backwardness and the like with the Balkans term. Ä. This view is particularly common in Central and Western Europe. For Croatia, the assignment to Central Europe is a means of demarcation from the crisis region of the Balkans.
In some states of the Balkan Peninsula, however, the term “Balkans” has mostly positive connotations. This is especially the case in Bulgaria, on whose territory the Balkan Mountains run 95%. The Bulgarians are well aware of the negative connotations of the term Balkan, but they perceive it as an external perspective that is fraught with prejudice. For the Bulgarians, the Balkans are part of their national identity, despite the predominantly European orientation of the population there.
States of the Western Balkans and key figures
The political term "Western Balkans" includes those states on the Balkan Peninsula that are not yet EU members, i.e. the former Yugoslavia with the exception of Slovenia and Croatia and Albania. All of these states are generally (together with others) counted as part of Southeastern Europe . The term “Southeast Europe” is historically less biased than a term that contains the word “Balkans”, which is why the above-mentioned states are usually classified as “Southeastern European” (see here, among others).
The Western Balkans group is listed below with some data from 2013:
| Member State |
GDP per capita |
Government debt ratio |
CO 2 emissions per capita |
Human Development Index |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Albania
|
$ 4,610 | 70 | 1.34 t | 0.716 |
|
Bosnia and Herzegovina
|
$ 4,598 | 43 | 8.44 t | 0.731 |
|
Kosovo *
|
$ 3,881 | - | - | - |
|
North Macedonia
|
$ 4,944 | 36 | 5.28 t | 0.732 |
|
Montenegro
|
$ 7,026 | 57 | 4.09 t | 0.789 |
|
Serbia
|
$ 5,907 | 66 | 4.66 t | 0.745 |
- * Since Kosovo is not a UN member, many statistics are not collected.
The external border of the European Union to the Western Balkans enclave is 2,819 km (on land), about one fifth of the total external border , and the second longest after the eastern border.
European politics
Since the breakup of Yugoslavia (1991), the Western Balkans have been considered politically unstable even during the ensuing acts of war up to around 2000. This includes unresolved issues between the states as well as unresolved issues with neighboring states, as well as an overall poor economic situation and domestic problems such as corruption or minority issues.
Despite the EU's fundamental will to close this “gap” in the European Union, there are still many open questions.
Importance of the European perspective and transatlantic integration
Albania and Croatia have been members of NATO since April 2009 , Montenegro since June 2017. Bosnia and Herzegovina and Macedonia are the next candidate countries. The European perspective for the Western Balkans is also the most important criterion for the development of the entire region and thus for the maintenance of peace in Europe . That is why the accession of the states concerned is the next strategic enlargement goal of the EU, which was set at the European summit in Porto Carras near Thessaloniki in June 2003 (see promise of Thessaloniki ).
So far only the Republic of Croatia is a member of the European Union . Albania, Serbia, Macedonia and Montenegro have candidate status. Negotiations with the EU have only started with Montenegro and Serbia so far. Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo have signed the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) with the EU. This agreement is considered a preliminary stage for candidate status. Accession to the Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA), which serves to dismantle tariffs and trade barriers, is also considered a preparatory measure for an EU candidacy. Currently (2019) Moldova and the Western Balkans are part of CEFTA.
Visa requirement when entering Schengen countries
On December 19, 2009, the visa requirement for citizens of Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia was lifted for stays in the Schengen area of up to 90 days in a half-year, provided they hold a biometric passport. As of December 15, 2010, the visa requirement was also lifted for citizens from Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina. However, this obligation continues to apply to citizens without a biometric passport. Citizens of Kosovo are still required to have a visa even if they hold a Serb passport.
Western Balkans Conferences
The Western Balkans Conference is a series of conferences that began in 2013 to discuss current problems in the relationship between the EU and these states and the EU accession negotiations.
Refugee issue
In the context of the refugee crisis in 2015 , the Western Balkans route became a central problem area. The Turkish-Bulgarian border was secured by a border fence and was strictly controlled, so that the eastern Balkan route of migration, which ran entirely within the EU, largely came to a standstill. The Greek-Macedonian border (as it was called at the time), on the other hand, was the main migration route to Central Europe for some time. It is still a problem area of EU refugee policy today , albeit to a far lesser extent than in 2015/16.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Camelia E. Ratiu: Balkangovernance, in: Georg Simonis, Helmut Elbers (ed.), External EU Governance . VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften, Wiesbaden 2011, ISBN 978-3-531-17941-4 , p. 135 [1]
- ↑ a b Archived copy ( memento of the original dated September 3, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ A broad structure of Europe according to cultural-spatial criteria Europa Regional, 13th year, 2005, volume 4, p. 164
- ↑ http://www.parlament.gv.at/pls/portal/docs/page/PG/DE/BR/BRSITZ/BRSITZ_00728/fnameorig_055010.html
- ↑ http://www.seeurope.net/?q=node/49
- ↑ http://www.seeurope.net/
- ↑ http://www.setimes.com/
- ↑ see also Wikipedia: gross domestic product per capita
- ↑ see also Wikipedia: National Debt Ratio
- ↑ see also Wikipedia: CO2 emissions per capita
- ↑ Declaration on the EU - Western Balkans Summit, press release of the European Commission, Thessaloniki, June 21, 2003.
- ↑ http://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/DE/EinreiseUndAufhab/Visumerleichterungsabkommen_node.html
Coordinates: 43 ° N , 20 ° E