ISPUNJENJE SOLUNSKE AGENDE I DOVRŠETAK INTEGRACIJE ZEMALJA ZAPADNOG BALKANA U EVROPSKU UNIJU/ FULFILLMENT OF THESSALONIKI AGENDA AND COMPLETION OF INTEGRATION OF WESTERN BALKANS COUNTRIES INTO EUROPIEN UNION

Abstract

In years prior to crises that EU has recently been faced with, starting with economic, fiscal and current migration crises as well as Brexit, EU had been internationally recognized as bastion of economic and political freedoms and it was were attractive from the foreign objective point of view for all countries of the Western Balkans. Aim of the article is to point out that it is possible to restore shaken international credibility of EU, especially after British NO vote at referendum regarding EU membership, primarily through completion of integration of Western Balkans countries into EU. It is necessary for EU to be in adequate manner more focused on its neighborhood as its own foreign objective and to increase tempo of region’s integration processes into European structures. That would mean that prophecy given in Thessaloniki back in 2003 regarding European perspective of the Western Balkans countries would have been fulfilled. Contrary to that, stall in further enlargement process would not only represent a serious threat for stability and commitment for European values, standards and norms of Western Balkans countries, but it would also represent additional setback for EU itself regarding commitment to its own foreign policies and its shaken international credibility.