The EU Enlargement Strategy in the Western Balkans: Assessing the Implications Amidst the War in Ukraine

This article critically examines the impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on European Union (EU) policies pertaining to the Western Balkan states, namely Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia. While the EU has long embraced a normative approach towards the Western Balkan region, the article argues that the Union is undergoing a profound shift towards a more geostrategic and geopolitical policy orientation. By employing an extensive analysis of the existing literature and first-hand data, this article makes a valuable contribution to the academic debates surrounding the EU’s enlargement policy (EEP), particularly focusing on its inherent limitations as a normative power. The findings reveal significant inconsistencies within the EU’s treatment of individual Western Balkan countries, with notable concessions being disproportionately granted to Serbia at the expense of the Union’s credibility. It exacerbates the pressure faced by the Western Balkan region, consequently providing fertile ground for Russia to exploit and amplify its illiberal influence in the area.