Harmonization in Turbulent Times. Western Balkans’ Accession to the European Union

Enlargement lies at the very heart of the European Union integration process as a part of its fundamental principles. The article explores the institutional framework and barriers of EU membership and interrogates patterns and effects of democratization through Europeanization in its national, but also supranational and transnational dimension. The specific case study regards a set of countries called ‘Western Balkans’ in which the post-communist democratic transition and transformation assumed particularly conflictual and violent forms during the 1990s, with serious repercussions for the patterns of consolidation of the liberal democracy and its specific political culture throughout their societies. The analysis finally questions the ability of the EU institutions and actors to carry out such an accession process capable to induce deep political and social transformation of all societies involved and, at the same time, deal with its current financial and economic, political and ‘migrant’ crisis.