EUROPEAN UNION AND THE BALKANS DURING JUNCKER’S COMMISSION

Đurković Miša (Dr Miša Đurković, viši naučni saradnik, Institut za evropske studije, Beograd), mdjurkov@gmail.com

The author analyzes the prospects for the European Union and the Balkans in the forthcoming period. First, it points to the fact that the EU is preoccupied with solving its own financial and economic problems. Enlargement is de facto transferred to another plan and frozen. Then he points to the problematic situation of the Balkan countries that sink in a combination of indebtedness, unemployment, political instability and authoritarianism. In the end, it is contended that in the near future, realistic and not overly ambitious priorities should be set: avoiding bankruptcy and safeguarding the fundamental political stability.

Keywords: European Union, the Balkans, the financial crisis, Germany, instability