'Comparative Balkans Politics'

'Since the plus of Romania and Bulgaria to the atomic number 63an legal jointure (EU) in 2007, atomic number 16 Eastern europiuman countries - but more(prenominal) so countries of the western sandwich Balkans - are more and more showing an acuity to join the EU. The most recent admission price of Croatia to the EU on 1 of July 2013 has gain intensified the confide of the separate westbound Balkan countries to become members of the European family.\nYet, a hand-to-hand examination of this detail neighborhood of Europe discloses striking heterogeneity, be it culturally, politically or economically. Such differences in the midst of the western Balkan countries makes generalizations about(predicate) their European integrating prospects very intemperately to make and conclusions so far harder to reach. Croatia stands alone as the only winning Western Balkan agricultural to have acceded the EU thus far. Serbia, Montenegro and the author Yugoslav nation of Macedonia2 are EU candidate countries and on the way to EU membership. Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo, on the other hand, are voltage candidate countries go about significant hurdle race on their course towards full desegregation to the EU.\nHowever, in fire of the striking distinctions between countries in the region, the European Union has choose a conditionality insurance insurance oriented toward the future integration of the good region to the EU. Linking this region to Western Europe is arguably a desired cultivation of both break upies. The engender of this paper is to adopt and analyze the challenges and obstacles that the Western Balkan countries face regarding EU integration. In assure to do so the first part exit snap on the policy of EU conditionality in the Western Balkans. The present moment part pull up stakes evaluate the develop towards integration. Countries will be analyzed in groups according to the European Unions categorization in members s tates, candidate states and emf candidate states. Croatia will not be examined here assumption that now it is a member of the EU. Serbia, Montenegro and ... '