Publications

Featuring voices from experts and policy-makers, this edition of Political Trends & Dynamics in Southeast Europe initially focused on analyzing the “Social Dimension of Enlargement Policy”. With the current global health emergency in full swing, it offers an even broader and useful perspective on the state of welfare in Southeast Europe and the relations among EU Members and the Non-Member States.

China’s growing presence in Southeast Europe (SEE) has not remained unnoticed and is causing an intense debate on the nature of its influence. This paper aims to answer three key questions: What shape and form does Beijing’s soft power projection take in the region? Secondly, to what extent do China’s soft power efforts help it attain its objectives in Southeast Europe? Thirdly, what else may be needed in view of future research into China’s soft power in the region?

The Social Dimension of Enlargement Policy lays out the key findings from the study Enlargement Policy and Social Change in the Western Balkans , focusing on the interaction between EU institutions and WB governments in processes of strategic social reform, mechanisms deployed by the EU in the social policy realm in the region and reforms pursued by WB governments to improve the social outcomes. Recommendations are offered on how to deepen the social dimension of accession.

The countries of the Western Balkans (WB) are facing enormous social challenges, including poverty and inequality, widespread joblessness and precarious employment, as well as a poor quality of crucial services. EU integration should not only be about institutional and economic transformation, but also social convergence. To effect social change, further paradigmatic shift is needed in enlargement policy: people need to be placed at the heart of the process. This document provides recommendations on how to achieve such a shift.