Central Europe and the

Western Balkans

Valeria Puga Alvarez

Central European Studies

Central Europe as an

interrelated concept with WBThe concept of Central Europe across the history has been a political one, and during

some periods it has included some Western Balkans countries, such as: the former

Yugoslavia.

Western Balkans boundaries

Western BalkansThe institutions of the EU have defined

the "Western Balkans" as the south-east

European area that includes countries

that are not members of the European

Union.

The Western Balkans is a neologism

coined to describe the countries of "ex-

Yugoslavia (minus Slovenia) and

Albania”. Thus, the region includes:

Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina,

Montenegro, Kosovo, Macedonia and

Albania

Unresolved border demarcation

Balkans as a crossroads of cultures

The identity of the Balkans has been dominated by its geographical position; historically

the area was known as a crossroads of cultures.

It has been a juncture between the Latin and Greek bodies of the Roman Empire, the

destination of a massive influx of pagan Bulgars and Slavs.

An area where Orthodox and Catholic Christianity met, as well as the meeting point

between Islam and Christianity.

1796:

Balkans division until S. V

Ethnic groups in WB

Bosnia-Herzegovina is the most ethnically diverse of the area's republics, according to

census figures. Consider that one-third of the country's residents are Muslim, one-third

are Serbs and one-fifth are Croats. Most Serbs are Orthodox and most Croats are Roman

Catholic. With those figures in mind, it is easy to see why the region has historically been

ravaged by warfare.

Long-term structural issues

The nationalisms in Central Europe and the

Balkans tend to be more exclusive and

xenophobic, because of stronger perceptions of

ethnicity based on lineage (or blood), frustrated

national aspirations, and the conscious

manipulation of nationalism by the political

regimes in their attempt to gain a modicum of

legitimacy.

The dominant form of nationalism that

emphasizes centralization and homogeneity as

the preferred model of a state.

The view of the state as largely tool of the

specific majority ethnic group.

Differences in economic terms:

Balkan States more agricultural- based

economic

Central European States more industrial-based

economy

Balkans before the I WWMost of the Western Balkan nation-states

emerged during the 19th and early 20th centuries

as they gained independence from the Ottoman

Empire or the Austro-Hungarian empire (Serbia,

Montenegro in 1878, Bulgaria in 1908, Albania

in 1912)

Serbia become independent of the Ottoman

Empire in 1867, but its independence was

recognized in 1878 in the Congress of Berlin,

that ended the Russo- Turkish War of 1877 – 78.

After 1878, Bosnia and Herzegovina was

under Austro-Hungarian military and civilian

rule until it was fully annexed in 1908,

provoking the Bosnian crisis among the other

powers

The Pig War (1906-08) was a trade war

between Austria-Hungary and the Kingdom of

Serbiain which the Habsburg's unsuccessfully

imposed a customs blockade on Serbian pork.

I and II Balkans Wars

First Balkan War (1912 – 1913)

In 1912–1913 the First Balkan War broke out when the nation-states of Bulgaria,

Serbia, Greece and Montenegro united in an alliance against the Ottoman Empire. As

a result of the war, almost all remaining European territories of the Ottoman Empire

were captured and partitioned among the allies.

Second Balkan War (1913)

It was a conflict which broke out when Bulgaria, dissatisfied with its share of the

spoils of the First Balkan War, attacked its former allies, Serbia and Greece.

Balkans and Central Europe in the I WW

First World War (1914 – 1918)

It was sparked in the Balkans in 1914 when members of Mlada Bosna, a revolutionary organization

with predominately Serbian and pro-Yugoslav members, assassinated the Austro-Hungarian heir

Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria in Bosnia and Herzegovina's capital, Sarajevo. That caused a

war between the two countries which—through the existing chains of alliances—led to the First World

War

Consequences:

Collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Defeat of Germany

Balkans and Central Europe in the II WW

Second World War (1939 – 1945)

With the start of the Second World War all Balkan countries, with the exception of

Greece, were allies of Nazi Germany, having bilateral military agreements or being

part of the Axis Pact.

Finally, at the end of 1944, the Soviets entered Romania and Bulgaria forcing the

Germans out of the Balkans. They left behind a region largely ruined as a result of

wartime exploitation.

Balkans and Central Europe in the Cold War

Most Central European states were unable to preserve their political independence and became

Soviet Satellite Europe. (Warsaw Pact and Comecon). Nevertheless, Communism was not

homogenous in Central European C

During the Cold War, most of the countries on the Balkans were governed by communist

governments.

However, despite being under communist governments, Yugoslavia (1948) and Albania (1961)

fell out with the Soviet Union.

Yugoslavia, led by Marshal Josip Broz Tito (1892–1980), sought closer relations with the West,

later even spearheaded, together with India and Egypt the Non-Aligned Movement.

Albania on the other hand gravitated toward Communist China, later adopting an isolationist

position.

The breakup of Yugoslavia 1991-1992

Slovenia and Croatia held free elections and their people voted for independence on their respective

countries' referenda.

Serbia in turn declared the dissolution of the union as unconstitutional and the Yugoslavian army

unsuccessfully tried to maintain status quo.

In the ensuing 10 years armed confrontation, gradually all the other Republics declared independence,

with Bosnia being the most affected by the fighting.

The long lasting wars resulted in a United Nations intervention and NATO ground and air forces took

action against Serb forces in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia.

American pressure to end the war eventually led to the Dayton agreement of November 1995 which

created two self-governing entities within Bosnia - the Bosnian Serb Republic and the

Muslim(Bosnjak)-Croat Federation.

Kosovo intervention (1999)• In 1998, nine years after the abolition of

Kosovo's autonomy, the Kosovo LiberationArmy - supported by the majority ethnicAlbanians - came out in open rebellion againstSerbian rule.

• The international community, while supportinggreater autonomy, opposed the KosovarAlbanians' demand for independence.

• But international pressure grew on Serbianstrongman, Slobodan Milosevic, to bring anend to the escalating violence in the province.

• Threats of military action by the West over thecrisis culminated in the launching of Nato airstrikes against Yugoslavia in March 1999, thefirst attack on a sovereign European country inthe alliance's history.

• Yugoslavia disappeared from the map ofEurope, after 83 years of existence, it wasreplaced by a union called simply Serbia andMontenegro until 2006.

• International Criminal Tribunal for the formerYugoslavia.

Differences in Human Development

All Central European countries are listed by the Human Development Index as very

highly developed (2016, UNDP).

In the case of Balkans, only Montenegro has been considered as very highly developed.

Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the FYR of Macedonia and Albania were ranked as

Highly developed countries.

In the case of Kosovo, there is no information.

Cooperation between Central

Europe and Balkans countries

• The Central European Initiative (CEI) is composed of 18Member States: Albania, Austria, Belarus, Bosnia andHerzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic,Hungary, Italy, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Poland,Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia and Ukraine.

• They embrace a territory of 2.4 million square kilometresand a population of nearly 260 million.

• The CEI has 9 EU and 9 non-EU Member Countries.

• The CEI was established in 1989 as an intergovernmentalforum for political, economic and cultural co-operationamong its Member States.

• Its main aim was to help transition countries in CentralEurope come closer to the EU.

Western Balkans and the

European Union (EU)• Each of these countries aims to be part of the future enlargement of the European Union and reach

democracy and transmission scores but, until then, they will be strongly connected with the pre-EU waitingprogram CEFTA.

• Croatia, which was considered to be part of the Western Balkans, joined the EU in July 2013

• Albania applied for EU membership on 28 April 2009. The actual opening of negotiations depends onAlbania’s further progress on five key priorities and notably on the implementation of recently adoptedjudicial reform legislation.

• Bosnia y Herzegovina.- On 15 February 2016 Bosnia and Herzegovina officially submitted its applicationfor EU membership and, in view of the meaningful progress made, the Council asked the Commission on 20September to submit its opinion on the country’s application.

• Macedonia.- The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia applied for EU membership in March 2004 andwas granted EU candidate status in December 2005. The unresolved, long-standing dispute with Greece overthe country’s use of the name ‘Macedonia’ is an important obstacle to further EU integration.

• Kosovo is a potential candidate for EU accession. Kosovo’s future EU integration — like Serbia’s —remains closely linked to the outcome and implementation of the EU-facilitated high-level dialogue betweenKosovo and Serbia.

• Montenegro applied for EU membership in December 2008, more than two years after declaring itsindependence (which was recognised by all Member States). 26 out of a total of 35 negotiating chapters hadbeen opened with Montenegro by the end of December 2016.

• Serbia submitted its application for EU membership in December 2009 and was granted candidate status inMarch 2012 after Belgrade and Pristina reached an agreement on Kosovo’s regional representation.

Western Balkans and the

European Union (EU)

• Trade: The EU is the Western Balkans' largest trading partner,accounting for over 76% of the region's total trade. In 2016, the EU wasthe region's largest trading partner for both imports (73.5%) and exports(80.6%).

• All the Western Balkan countries have Stabilisation and AssociationAgreements (SAAs) with the EU and have a clear EU perspective.

• The Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA) is a single FreeTrade Agreement (FTA) linking all the Western Balkans and Moldova.