Chapter 4: The role of European integration in the Western Balkans
: A large body of literature has shown that internationally-assisted transitions to democracy tend to be more successful. Yet despite the great international attention and resources dedicated to the Western Balkans, international efforts have not been particularly successful. Democratization is at a standstill or regressing, ethnic reconciliation has either failed or has not reached up to expected levels, and the stalled process of European enlargement has all but diminished any chance of substantial change. Despite high levels of public support for European integration, and the alignment of party programs with the accession criteria, the region’s progress is below expectations. This chapter, therefore, takes stock of the European integration literature with a reference to the Western Balkans in order to show how the European Union is involved in the democratization and reconciliation processes of the region.