The EU of Multiple Speeds - The Western Balkans Shifting in Reverse

Such factors are making it difficult for the EU to deal with a multitude of internal and external challenges. Among the most prominent are Brexit, the lingering concerns about the Eurozone, ongoing migrant and refugee flows, a resurgent Russia and a heightened terrorism threat. Among these difficulties, the future shape and character of the Union are being increasingly put to question. Supporters of the European project worry that for the first time in its sixty years, some aspects of integration could be halted or even reversed. Others contend that there is a chance that the multiple crises currently facing the EU could produce some beneficial EU reforms, encourage further political and economic integration, and ultimately transform the bloc into a more effective and cohesive entity. Successive U.S. Administrations have long supported the European integration project, viewing it as crucial to European peace and security and as a way to foster strong U.S. allies and trading partners.

The EU’s next steps and possible future scenarios, like the two-speed concept, as well as the perspectives for the Western Balkans amidst the processes of European and Euro-Atlantic integration, the growing impact of other actors and the current crisis in the region were the leading topics discussed at the conference "The EU of Multiple Speeds – the Western Balkans Shifting into Reverse"that was jointly organized by the FES Office in Belgrade and Center for Foreign Policy on June 30, 2017 in Belgrade, Serbia.