The Possible Problems of Balkan Accession to the European Un
Though this paper is meant to address a current event pertaining to the European Union, it is difficult to explain some things without delving into the past. This paper deals not with a single concrete event, but rather a process that could have deep implications for the European Union. This process involves one of the most ethnically diverse, and unfortunately, most volatile regions of the globe: the Balkans. This paper will briefly address the past histories of the Balkans and the European Union. It will also attempt to explain the possibilities for internal conflict once the Balkan states, particularly the Yugoslav successor states, attain EU membership. Finally, it will evaluate the pros and cons of EU expansion into the Balkans, as well as ways to evade the potential problems of expansion into such an unstable region. The modern European Union was created in 1952 in an attempt to deter war through economic interdependence. Over the next few decades, the original 6 states gradually expanded into a 15-member bloc. Expansion was expressly encouraged in the various treaties governing the administration and functioning of the Union. The collapse of Soviet-style communism in . . .
Furthermore, this form of nationalism is quickly becoming marginalized, thanks in part to the economic benefits of Union membership. ” Clan structures continue to dominate Albanian and Montenegrin culture. October of 2000 proved to be a turning point, when the Yugoslav oligarchy was overthrown and true multi-party democracy was established. Past attempts to reconcile these views and replace them with Ottoman, Hapsburg, and Yugoslav identities failed miserably. However, any analysis of Balkan history will reveal that the region has the uncanny ability of dividing and shattering the Pax Europeana. Perhaps caution would be the best policy. Their activities have yet to affect the Union in any substantial manner. Three others, Bulgaria, Romania, and Slovenia, are serious candidates capable of joining within the decade. The problem now was how to achieve this membership. Eastern Europe from 1989-1991 created a vast new pool of potential applicants determined to enter the European mainstream in order to escape their dark Soviet past. As other East European states applied to join the European Union, Yugoslavia descended into ethnic chaos reminiscent of the late 19th Century. For the first time since 1912, all Balkan states had a common aspiration: EU membership. Basque separatists, Corsican mobsters, and Catholic and Protestant marchers have been plaguing member-states since the creation of the Union. The Balkans are poor, much poorer than their Baltic and Central European neighbors. Once a part of the Union, more funds will be necessary to bring the infrastructure to par with the rest of Europe.
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