Good neighborly relations in the Western Balkans, although one of the key political conditions for European integration, remain deeply marked by a gap between normative expectations and political practice, according to the publication "Good Neighborliness in the Western Balkans: Bilateral Disputes and the Policies That Maintain Them", published by the Center for Democratic Transition (CDT).
The publication states that good neighborly relations, instead of being a framework for the permanent resolution of open issues, in the regional context often turn into an unstable and politicized space, in which bilateral disputes persist for decades without any substantial progress.
The CDT announced that the publication shows that almost no country in the Western Balkans has a completely stable bilateral environment.
It is emphasized that each of the countries has at least one open issue with its neighbor that affects regional relations and European integration.
"The status dispute between Serbia and Kosovo remains the most significant and complex bilateral challenge in the region, with direct implications for security, political stability, and the European Union (EU) accession process," the publication states.
The research, they said, points to a broader pattern in which bilateral disputes spill over into the enlargement process.
The publication also states that North Macedonia, despite the Prespa Agreement and the resolution of the long-standing dispute with Greece, is still facing open issues in relations with Bulgaria, while Montenegro, in the final phase of negotiations, is facing challenges in relations with Croatia.
"These examples indicate that bilateral disputes remain a permanent element of regional political dynamics and one of the factors shaping the pace and content of European integration," the publication assesses.
It is stated that the analysis shows that long-standing bilateral disputes in the region are not only a consequence of incomplete European mechanisms, but also the active choice of the political elites of the Western Balkans to use open issues as an instrument of internal mobilization, pressure on neighbors, and delaying reforms.
"Instead of being resolved in the spirit of cooperation and European values, disputes are often turned into a permanent political resource," the publication says.
The publication, as stated by the CDT, maps key border, identity and war legacy disputes in the region and shows that they persist not only because of their complexity, but also because of their political function.
"Instead of being the subject of systemic resolution, open issues are often deliberately retained as an instrument of domestic politics and regional pressure," the publication adds.
In this context, it is assessed that the greatest part of the responsibility for the lack of substantial progress lies with the Western Balkan countries, which treat good neighborly relations as a formal condition, rather than as a process that requires political courage and a real break with past practices.
"Nationalist mobilization, selective interpretation of history, instrumentalization of minority and identity issues, and avoidance of confronting the war legacy contribute to the maintenance and deepening of bilateral disputes, even when there are realistic and legally achievable models for resolving them," the publication states.
The publication, as the CDT added, also points to the limitations of the European approach.
It appears that the EU has set good neighborly relations as a mandatory condition for membership, but without a clear, predictable and legally based mechanism for resolving bilateral disputes.
"Member state veto rights, uneven application of standards and ad hoc approaches have led to a situation in which bilateral disputes are increasingly used as a means of blocking the accession process, further encouraging their political instrumentalization," the publication says.
The CDT said that the goal of the research is not only to record existing disputes, but also to understand their political function and the consequences they produce - for democratic development, regional stability, and the credibility of the EU's enlargement policy.
"The publication warns that without a change in approach – both in Brussels and in the capitals of the Western Balkans – bilateral disputes remain a permanent obstacle to the region's European integration," the CDT statement concluded.
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