Why the Western Balkans Exposes European Identity
Europe likes to say: we are a community. But what we are really saying is: we are an economy. The Western Balkans want to join the club, and suddenly we say: wait, what are the actual rules?
Why the Western Balkans Exposes European Identity
An enlargement is not an economic question. It is a political choice. And political choices turn out to be difficult.
The enlargement of the EU and NATO to the Western Balkans is underway. Serbia, Bosnia, Montenegro, Macedonia, they want in. Europe, they say: we want to join. Good, says Europe, here are the rules. Rule of law principles. Human rights. Anti-corruption. Free media.
And then those countries start working on those processes. Years. Decades. Slowly, uncertainly, against local resistance. And every time Europe says: not good enough yet. A few more years.
This looks like bureaucratic delay. But what it actually is, is identity crisis.
Europe does not know what it is. Is it a political community? Then you must say: yes, we accept you, here are the expectations, you go to work on those. Or is it an economic market? Then you must say: here are the trade criteria, do you meet them?
What Europe does: both. We want you to feel like us, but we also want you to feel separate. We want you in, but not really. We want your values, but we do not want to say what those values precisely are.
This is what I mean by identity crisis. If you do not know what you are, you cannot say who may belong.
The Western Balkans is geographically European. Culturally contested. Politically weak. And that is exactly the problem. If you are already a strong political community, you can say and expand. "Here is what we are, join us." But Europe is not confident enough in what it is, so we say: "Here are all the rules, meet them, and then we will see."
NATO has the same. Finland, Sweden want in. Good, we say, here are the criteria. And immediately after accession? Suddenly some members say: wait, maybe we want to spend more on defense. Suddenly others say: maybe we do not want foreign soldiers in our country. Suddenly: what is actually the purpose of this club?
I see this pattern constantly in my advisory work. Organizations that grow, but do not know why. They set criteria for joining, because they feel something could go wrong. But they do not know what that something is.
Real political federations know that. They say: it is about us being able to decide together. Here is how we decide together. Join us if you accept that. And then they stop with criteria. Because the actual criterion is: do you accept our way of working together?
America does this. America says: join the US, and you accept the Constitution. That is it. The rest is details. Not ten years of: give us some democracy points, give us some human rights certificates, give us some anti-corruption evidence.
Europe says: join us, and you accept... actually, we do not know what. Maybe: our values? Which values? They differ per country. Political ownership? We have no owner. Societal model? Those differ too. So we give criteria. And criteria are endless, because they are a preference for delay.
This will the Western Balkans continue to feel as unfair. They look at Germany, see economic power. They look at France, see political power. They want that. So they apply. And get: more rules. More criteria. More years.
That is not fair, not because the criteria are unreasonable, but because Europe does not say what it actually wants. So how can the Balkans know if they can deliver it?
Sources: EU Commission expansion reports; NATO expansion analyses; studies of Western Balkans integration
Source: EU enlargement policy 2020-2025; NATO expansion discussions; Western Balkans analyses