Berlin plus Brussels plus Moscow plus Washington

The interest of the political elites in the Balkans is only and exclusively the status quo and that is why they are ready to sacrifice peace, stability, the future of their own citizens, everything except their own freedom, power and wealth

Not at all unexpectedly, the Western Balkans is becoming an increasingly frequent topic in the increasingly less diplomatic exchange of accusations between the West and Russia. The last recent clash with harsh words, when Hoyt Gee, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Senate, accused Russia of "malign influence" in the Balkans, and Russian Foreign Minister S. Lavrov accused the West of being "obsessed with the intention to dominate the Balkans" are just an escalation of the previous proportions. All of this is happening in the context of open relations between Europe and the USA, regarding a whole series of issues, especially in relation to Berlin and Washington.

The determination of the countries of the Western Balkans to join the European Union has been in a vacuum for a long time, caused by internal difficulties in the EU (see under Brexit, the growth of authoritarian tendencies in some member countries, especially Hungary and Poland, the refugee crisis, terrorism), but also by the growth of authoritarian tendencies in the countries of the Western Balkans conditioned by the complete capture of the mentioned countries by the interests of narrow political elites, and by constant disagreements and the inability of the countries to normalize mutual relations.

Such a situation was unmistakably recognized by Russia as an area for stronger promotion of its interests. After renewing the partnership with Turkey, and returning to the global stage in style in Syria and the Middle East, the Balkans, where Russia has traditionally based its influence on the historical affinity shown by circles towards it, is a logical continuation of Russia's global presence. The increasingly unpredictable Turkey, which has completely degenerated into authoritarianism, is no longer even mentioned by anyone in the context of EU integration, but more and more as a source of instability with a completely autonomous agenda in the Balkans.

The EU enlargement process, for which no alternative has been seen for the Balkan countries, has been in a deep crisis for a long time. The scope of the Europeanization process is also called into question due to the situation in the member states of Central and Eastern Europe, in which the fundamental principles and values ​​of the EU are being violated. In the White Paper on the future of the EU until 2025, prepared by the European Commission on the occasion of the XNUMXth anniversary of the Treaty of Rome, enlargement is practically not even mentioned.

The Berlin process, initiated in 2014 by Germany with the idea of ​​strengthening regional cooperation and focusing on issues important for the accession process of the countries of the Western Balkans, before the end of the planned period, opens up questions about its scope so far. Theoretically well conceived, it brought a limited number of effects in the grim reality of the countries of the Western Balkans. In this light, the Berlin Plus initiative was recently promoted through the statement of the German Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sigmar Gabriel, with a special focus on the development of economic potential, infrastructure and trade liberalization, through the provision of significant funds for these needs.

Expecting the Berlin Plus process, in the current circumstances, to bring about a fundamental change for the Balkan countries in terms of stopping neo-authoritarian tendencies and calming tensions, would be too ambitious to expect, given that even within the EU such tendencies are not only present but also growing stronger. The EU's transformational potential for the Balkan countries faces its own limitations, on the other hand, it seems that even within the EU there is no clear understanding that the EU itself is faced with a choice whether it will be an exporter of stability or an importer of instability, taking into account the immediate environment. In any case, even this partially innovated approach of the EU does not bring a fundamentally changed approach nor does it take the key thing into account, the interest of the political elites in the Balkans is only and exclusively the status quo and that is why they are ready to sacrifice peace, stability, the future of their own citizens, everything except their own freedom, power and wealth.

(6yka.com)