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The year-long disagreement between Athens and Skopje over Macedonia's official name is not only detrimental to the two neigbours' bilateral relations, it is also jeopardising European Union and NATO stability strategies for the western Balkans, according to a report published on Monday (12 January).

"The main NATO-EU strategy for stabilising Macedonia and the region via enlargement was derailed in 2008 by the dispute with Greece over the country's name," says the International Crisis Group (ICG) in a new paper. It explains that the EU membership perspective has been helping to unite Macedonia's two communities, the ethnic Macedonians and Albanians, especially since the end of the 2001 conflict between them. But the recent escalation of the name dispute between Greece and Macedonia – which materialised in April last year when Athens blocked Skopje's NATO bid – "puts at risk the progress achieved," according to the ICG.

Press Articles Macedonia's Name: Breaking the Deadlock

Balkan-Monitor.eu provides news and views about the Western Balkans. It’s the home of the Gallup Balkan Monitor survey that continually monitors the views of the Balkans residents: from their living standards, happiness and attitudes towards the EU, to their employment opportunities, feelings about living abroad and the performance of their governments. With its partner, the European Fund for the Balkans, Gallup has developed a one-stop-shop for anyone requiring strategic insights into the Balkans.

Macedonia is a relative success story in a region scarred by unresolved statehood and territory issues. International engagement has, since the 2001 conflict with an ethnic Albanian insurgency, brought progress in integrating Albanians into political life. This has been underpinned by the promise of European Union (EU) and NATO integration, goals that unite ethnic Macedonians and Albanians. But the main NATO/EU strategy for stabilising Macedonia and the region via enlargement was derailed in 2008 by the dispute with Greece over the country’s name. Athens claims that, by calling itself “Macedonia”, it appropriates part of the Hellenic heritage and implies a claim against Greece’s northern province. At summits it blocked Macedonian membership in NATO and EU accession talks until the issue is settled. Mystifying to outsiders, the dispute touches existential nerves, especially in Macedonia, and has serious regional implications. The parties need to rebuild trust; member states need to press both to compromise, especially Greece to respect its commitment not to block Skopje in international organisations.

Abstract[From the introduction] The foregoing summary of current events indicates the complexity of the situation the EU is dealing with on the Balkans. Currently, it seems that, apart from Croatia and partly Montenegro and Macedonia, the countries are still far away from any meaningful prospects regarding European integration. A detailed overview of all of the intricacies and activities of the European Union’s foreign policy in the Western Balkans is beyond the scope of this paper. Instead, the following discussion addresses the main institutional and legal issues with regard to the process of integration for the countries of the Western Balkans. This process, the Stabilization and Association Process (SAP), is a precondition to enlargement procedures. In the light of the current events, the final part addresses the particularities of the role foreseen for the EU in Kosovo.

Der folgende Beitrag stellt Auszüge aus einer Veröffentlichung von Michael Nollert in der „Zeitschrift für Politik“ (Jahrgang 44, S. 648 ff.) dar. Er befasst sich mit einer Untersuchung zu den Einflusschancen und Einflussmechanismen der Verbände bei den europäischen Institutionen. Dabei geht der Verfasser von der Beobachtung aus, dass sich aufgrund der gewachsenen Kompetenzen der Europäischen Union die verbandliche Interessenvertretung deutlich von der nationalen zur europäischen Ebene verlagert hat.

Die Europäische Union sucht nach neuen und effizienten Instrumenten für die Beziehungen zu ihrem unmittelbaren geographischen Umfeld. Die Europäische Nachbarschaftspolitik (ENP) zielt darauf ab, Stabilität und Prosperität in die östliche und südliche Peripherie der Union zu exportieren, ohne dabei automatisch eine Mitgliedschaft versprechen zu müssen. Das Buch, in dem Fachleute aus Wissenschaft und politischer Praxis zu Wort kommen, gibt zunächst einen Überblick über Beweggründe und Funktionsweise des strategischen Rahmens ENP. Exemplarisch gibt dann Einblick in wichtige Kooperationsfelder zwischen der EU und ihren Nachbarn, etwa Wirtschaft und Handel, Justiz und Inneres, Außen- und Sicherheitspolitik, Demokratisierung oder Energie. Schließlich werden Anregungen gegeben, wie die EU mit dem Widerspruch zwischen engerer Einbindung der Nachbarn und der Wahrung ihrer Handlungsfähigkeit umgehen kann.

The 2004 and 2007 enlargements pushed the EU's external border further east as well as closer to unstable areas in the western Balkans. With future enlargements unlikely in the short-term, the EU faces new challenges in securing stable relationships with these neighbouring countries, while not fostering false hopes of early accession. This book explores the challenges facing the EU in developing its relations with neighboring countries in Eastern and South-Eastern Europe following the enlargements of 2004 and 2007.

This cutting edge handbook presents the main theoretical and empirical issues involved in current Europeanization research. As a critical review of the state of the art it evaluates the achievements and shortcomings of the growing Europeanization literature. As a reference book at advanced level it sets the parameters for Europeanization research in the coming years. All twenty-five chapters are written by the foremost authoritative scholars in the field. Contents AcknowledgmentsList of ContributorsPART ONE: INTRODUCTIONChallenges of a New Research Agenda; M.Vink & P.GrazianoPART TWO: THEORY AND METHODSThe Three Worlds of Regional Integration Theory; J.CaporasoConceptual Issues; C.M.Radaelli & R.PasquierTheorizing Europeanization; S.BulmerMethodology; M.HaverlandPART THREE: POLITICS & POLITYTerritory; K.H.GoetzCandidate Countries and Conditionality; F.Schimmelfennig & U.SedelmeierRegulatory Governance; D.Levi-FaurState Structures; P.BursensCore Executives; B.LaffanParliamentary Scrutiny; R.HolzhackerPolitical Parties and Party Systems; P.MairInterest Groups and Social Movements; R.EisingCourts; S.NyikosPART FOUR: POLICIESPolicy Implementation; U.SverdrupAgricultural Policy; C.Roederer-RynningEnvironmental Policy; T.A.BörzelCohesion Policy; I.BacheSocial Policy; G.FalknerTelecommunications Policy; V.Schneider & R.WerleEconomic Policy; K.DysonAnti-Discrimination Policy; V.GuiraudonAsylum Policy; S.LavenexForeign Policy; R.WongPART FIVE: CONCLUSIONSome Promises and Pitfalls of Europeanization Research; D.LehmkuhlBibliography

In this first book-length treatment of integration theory for many years, Ben Rosamond provides an accessible and stimulating critical introduction to the full range of classical and contemporary perspectives. The book explains the centrality of theoretical work to the study of integration and the EU and carefully locates different theories within their wider intellectual and "real world" contexts. This thoroughly researched book engages with the key debates that have arisen from theoretical deliberations about European integration. It develops its own distinctive contribution, emphasizing the importance of "sociology of knowledge" questions when evaluating integration theory and stressing the continued significance of international theory to the study of the EU.