This policy paper examines Western Balkan stakeholders' perspectives on what is needed for meaningful enlargement and the EU reforms they consider essential for an effective expanded Union. Field research in spring and summer 2024 included 16 high-level interviews with representatives from all six countries of the region.

In July 2023, Serbian Defence Minister Miloš Vučević, and now Serbian Prime Minister, publicly accused Türkiye of training, arming and conducting military drills with the Kosovo Security Forces (KSF), Kosovo’s crisis response formation with the explicit purpose of transforming the KSF into full-fledged army by the year 2028.

Bilateral disputes between European Union member states and candidate countries are one of the key obstacles to EU enlargement. They have been plaguing the EU accession process ever since the breakup of Yugoslavia and the subsequent border dispute between EU member Slovenia and candidate country Croatia which then ensued. More recently we have the case of North Macedonia. It became a candidate country in 2005 but ever since, its accession negotiations have been bogged down by endless bilateral disputes.

Tolerance, listening to different voices, interaction, dialogue, and mutual understanding. These are keywords that can summarize the first Regional Peacebuilding Academy, BCSP organized from December 4 to December 10 in Podgorica. During the five days, around 60 youth leaders with different backgrounds - politics, civil society, sports, arts, academia, and business, from Serbia, Kosovo, and Bosnia and Herzegovina engaged in a series of activities in order to drive change and move toward reconciliation in the Western Balkans and to establish a regional youth network.

In order to be credible and overcome state capture in the region, the European Union needs to start making decisions on the Western Balkans, to engage more with citizens and internal democratization drivers, and regional actors should have a say in EU-wide debates, it was concluded at the conference “The Lighthouse of a Better Balkans – The first 25 years of the BCSP” held on 27 June at the Metropol Palace Hotel in Belgrade. During the conference organized on the occasion of its 25th anniversary, BCSP formed an International Advisory Committee and presented its members.

In this paper, BCSP researcher Luka Steric calls for the U-turn in the French and EU approach to the Western Balkans, calling for the end of support for stabilocracy.

The EU should rethink its approach and regain legitimacy in the Western Balkans region, it was pointed out during the event BCSP organized on May 16, in Hague, in cooperation with organized by Leiden University, Central and East European Studies Centre, Peace Analytics and GTGC Conflict, Peace, and Security stream.

The main goal of this paper is to present lessons learned, and present policy recommendations regarding the EU integration policy in Western Balkans given the recent events in 2022. In addition, a deeper understanding of the Dutch foreign and security policy is also provided, since the Netherlands has rejected plans for the EU’s further expansion.

BCSP researcher Luka Šterić analyzes militaristic narratives in the three countries signatories of the Dayton Peace Agreement - Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia.