EU-Western Balkans Future Relations: Liberal Scenarios (Status Quo and Status Quo+)
摘要
This chapter explores liberal scenarios (Status Quo and Status Quo+) regarding the future relations between the EU and the Western Balkans over the next 5–10 years. Subsequent deliberation in this chapter is grounded on the analytical framework engendered in Chap. 2 of this book. Accordingly, this chapter concentrates on: (a) the EU’s capability to formulate priorities, develop policies and utilise policy instruments in the six Western Balkan states to shape the outcomes of the ‘liberal scenarios’ for future EU-Western Balkans relations; and (b) the implications for the EU and Western Balkans if either of the ‘liberal scenarios’ would shape these relations in the next 5–10 years. Ultimately, this chapter critically analyses the EU-Western Balkans relations in a theoretically informed manner, within the framework of both ‘liberal scenarios’, thereby shedding light on the different pathways that may unfold over the next 5–10 years, assuming that one of these scenarios persists during this timeframe.