European Voices in the Western Balkans: A Liberal Perspective on Enlargement of the European Union

Year: 2020
ISBN: 978-2-9602333-8-4

Authors: Natan Albahari, Martin Apostolski, Damir Arnaut, Ivan Dragojević, Sanela Klarić, Aris Movsesijan
Editor: Jasmina Mršo

Although the European Union is still mostly engaged in fighting the COVID-19 outbreak, preparing itself for the post-pandemic crises, and trying to make internal reforms in order to tackle existing and possible future problems in member states, talks on enlargement should not halt. And the two priorities – the one on the internal and the one on external strengthening of the European Union – must not be considered mutually exclusive, because they both benefit the geopolitical position of Europe. Therefore, liberal activists and policy makers from four Western Balkan countries (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia) have decided to take initiative and promote talks of a joint European Future and a stronger European Union, based on the values and standards of liberal democracies amongst European liberals. This paper is an opinion piece written by them, and is supposed to inform liberal activists in Europe, but also to others who are interested in the topic, on what a liberal perspective on EU enlargement in the region looks like.