We Are (Not) a Family? Analysis of Argumentation in Favor of Eu Enlargement in the Western Balkans after the 2003 and 2018 Summits

Anes Makul, Adem Olovčić

Abstract


This paper aims to investigate the change in EU rhetoric on enlargement to the Western Balkans using analysis and comparison of the arguments of EU officials and strategic documents, which are closely related to the Union's enlargement policy to the Western Balkans, after the European Council summits on the enlargement of the Union, in 2003 and 2018. Following the fundamental tendency to enlarge the Union in the context of the common foreign and security policy, European officials articulated this differently in the context of the two summits. While during and after the first Summit, the European Union was presented in various discursive representations as a highly successful political community capable of attracting countries to adapt to its strict rules and norms to achieve the possibility of integration; during the second Summit, in 2018, the importance of the accession of the Western Balkan countries to the Union was persistently emphasized. In this way, the patronizing discourse present in rhetorical representations during and after the first Summit was replaced by the discourse according to which the European Union insists on the accession of these countries to the Union, regardless of the complete fulfillment of previously set normative criteria. The reason for that is the growing influence of China in the Western Balkans and the growing Russian appetite for power and political action in this region.

Keywords


European Union; enlargement; rhetoric; discourse; Western Balkans

Full Text:

PDF

References


Abazi, Enika (2019), ˝Albania. New geopolitics and shifting linkages˝, in: Bieber, Florian, Nikolaos Tzifakis (eds.), The Western Balkans in the World, Routledge, London,164-183.

Ashdown, L. Paddy (2003), ˝Remarks by the EU Special Representative / High Representative Paddy Ashdown to the EU-Western Balkans Summit’; Available at: http://www.ohr.int/remarks-by-the-eu-special-representativehigh- representative-paddy-ashdown-to-the-eu-western-balkans-summit/.

Barroso, José Manuel (2010), ˝State of the Union Address 2010˝, European Commission; Available at: http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_SPEECH-10- 411_en.htm (Accessed: 14 May 2019).

Barroso, José Manuel (2011), ˝European renewal – State of the Union Address 2011˝, European Commission; Available at: http://europa.eu/rapid/press- release_SPEECH-11-607_en.htm (Accessed: 14 May 2019).

Barroso, José Manuel (2012), ˝State of the Union 2012 Address˝, European Commission; Available at: http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_SPEECH-12- 596_en.htm (Accessed: 14 May 2019).

Barroso, José Manuel (2013), ˝State of the Union Address 2013˝, European Commission; Available at: http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_SPEECH-13-684_en.htm (Accessed: 14 May 2019).

Bastian, Jens (2017), ˝China`s Footprint in Southeast Europe: Constructing the “Balkan Silk Road’’˝, Südosteuropa Mitteilungen, 4-5, 8-25.

Bechev, Dimitar (2017) Rival power: Russia’s influence in Southeast Europe, Yale University Press, New Haven and London

Bechev, Dimitar (2020), ˝Russia. Playing a weak hand well˝, in: Bieber, Florian, Nikolaos Tzifakis (eds.), The Western Balkans in the World, Routledge, London, 187-200.

Belsey, Catherine (2003), Poststrukturalizam – kratak uvod, Šahinpašić, Sarajevo

Bijedić, Izet (2018), Savremene političkogeografske karakteristike Bosne i Hercegovine, Dobra knjiga / Ibn Sina, Sarajevo

Blome, Nikolaus, Susanne Koelbl, Peter Müller, Ralf Neukirch, Matthias Schepp, Gerald Traufetter (2014), ˝Zurück im Kalten Krieg˝, Der Spiegel, November, 20-22. Available at: https://magazin.spiegel.de/EpubDelivery/ spiegel/pdf/130335526.

Čaršimamović Vukotić, Naida, Salminka Fazlić, Anela Kadić, Anesa Hadžić, Emina Ćosić Puljić, Vanja Ibrahimbegović Tihak, Ye Zhang (2017) Anketa percepcija građana u Bosni i Hercegovini 2016; Available at: http://www.mea surebih.com/uimages/final_MEASURE-BiH_NSCP2016_FindingsReport- BSC_200511201720formatted.pdf.

Centar za evroatlanske studije (2016), Istraživanje javnog mnjenja: Evropska Unija, Rusija i Sjedinjene Američke Države u očima građana Srbije i preferencije građana od 18 do 35 godina, Beograd; Available at: https://www.ceas- serbia.org/images/2015-i-pre/CEAS_2016__ipsos_srp.pdf.

Center for Insights in Survey Research (2017), Bosnia and Herzegovina: Attitudes on Violent Extremism and Foreign Influence; Available at: http://www.iri.org/sites/default/files/iri_bosnia_poll_february_2017.pdf.

Delalić, Selma, Adem Olovčić, Armin Tufo, Samira Aličić (2021), China - The Rise of the Titan, International Burch University, Sarajevo

Delegation of the European Union to Bosnia and Herzegovina (2017), Key Dates; Available at: http://europa.ba/?page_id=496 (Accessed: 11 February 2018).

Deutsche Welle (2015), ˝German Minister Roth: ‘EU expansion is also in our interest’˝, Available at: https://www.dw.com/en/german-minister-roth-eu-expansion-is-also-in-our-interest/a-18369610 (Accessed: 22 September 2021).

Dooge, James (1985), Report of the Ad Hoc Committee for Institutional Affairs to the European Council; Available at: http://aei.pitt.edu/997/.

Đurić, Miloš N. (2020), Istorija helenske etike, Dereta, Beograd

Anghel, Suzana Elena (2019), ˝European Council in Action Western Balkans: State of play in the European Council Overview of discussions since the Lisbon Treaty˝, European Parliament Research Service, Brussels, 1-12. Available at: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2018/ 615678 /EPRS_BRI(2018)615678_EN.pdf (Accessed: 4 February 2019).

Euractiv (2017), EU ministers: Balkans becoming ‘chessboard’ for big powers; Available at: https://www.euractiv.com/section/global-europe/news/ eu-ministers-balkans-becoming-chessboard-for-big-powers/ (Accessed: 7 May 2019).

Euractiv (2018), Juncker raises spectre of new Balkans war; Available at: https://www.euractiv.com/section/enlargement/news/juncker-raises-spectre-of-new-balkans-war/ (Accessed: 27 February 2019).

European Commission (2004), Standard Eurobarometer 61, Brussels; Available at: https://europa.eu/eurobarometer/surveys/detail/408.

European Commission (2006), Enlargement Strategy and Main Challenges 2006 — 2007. Brussels; Available at: http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement/pdf/ key_documents/2006/nov/com_649_strategy_paper_en.pdf.

European Commission (2009), Standard Eurobarometer 71, Brussels: Available at: https://europa.eu/eurobarometer/surveys/detail/829.

European Commission (2018), ˝A credible enlargement perspective for and enhanced EU engagement with the Western Balkans˝, 1–19. Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/sites/beta-political/files/roadmap-factsheet- tallinn_en.pdf (Accessed: 25 April 2019).

European Council (2000), Santa Maria da Feira Europen Council 2000 - Presidency Conclusions, Brussels; Available at: http://www.europarl.eu ropa.eu/ summits/fei1_en.htm#V.

European Council (2003), ˝EU - Western Balkans Summit - Declaration˝, European Council; Available at: https://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/ cms_data/docs/pressdata/en/misc/76291.pdf.

European Council (2018), ˝Sofia Declaration˝, European Council; Available at: https://www.consilium.europa.eu/media/34776/sofia-declaration_en.pdf (Accessed: 22 February 2019).

Evropska Unija (no date), Desetljeće mogućnosti i izazova; Available at: https://europa.eu/european-union/about-eu/history/2010-2019_hr.

Faucault, Michel (1970), Poredak diskursa: Pristupno predavanje održano na Kolež de Fransu, Karpos, Loznica

Ferdinand, Peter (2016), ˝Westward ho - the China dream and ‘one belt, one road’: Chinese foreign policy under Xi Jinping˝, International Affairs, 92(4), 941-957.

Fierke, Karin Merie, Antje Wiener (2005), ˝Constructing institutional interests: EU and NATO enlargement˝, in: Schimmelfennig, Frank, Urlich Sedelmeier (eds.). The Politics of European Union Enlargement: Theoretical Approaches, Routledge, London, 99-119.

Galeotti, Mark (2017), ˝Controlling Chaos: How Russia Manages its Political War in Europe˝, European Council on Foreign Relations; Available at: https://www.ecfr.eu/publications/summary/controlling_chaos_how_russia_manages_ its_political_war_in_europe.

Hegel, Georg Wilhelm Firedrich (1987), Fenomenologija duha, Naprijed, Zagreb

Hertz, Robin, Dirk Leuffen (2011), ˝Too big to run? Analysing the impact of enlargement on the speed of EU decision-making˝, European Union Politics, 12(2), 193-215.

Hosli, Madeleine O., Mikko Mattila, Marc Uriot (2011), ˝Voting in the Council of the European Union after the 2004 Enlargement: A Comparison of Old and New Member States˝, JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies, 49(6), 1249–1270.

Huskić, Adnan (2014), ˝Complex System, Complex Foreign Policy: The Foreign Policy of Bosnia and Herzegovina˝, in: Keil, Soeren, Bernhard Stahl (eds.), The Foreign Policies of Post-Yugoslav States: From Yugoslavia to Eu rope, Palgrave Macmillan, London UK, 122-143.

Al Jazeera (2018), Ruska parlamentarka za odlazak visokog predstavnika iz Bosne i Hercegovine; Available at: https://balkans.aljazeera.net/news/balkan /2018/4/23/ruska-parlamentarka-za-odlazak-visokog-predstavnika-iz-bosne- i-hercegovine.

Juncker, Jean-Claude (2014), ˝A New Start for Europe: My Agenda for Jobs, Growth, Fairness and Democratic Change Political Guidelines for the next European Commission: Opening Statement in the European Parliament Plenary Session Setting Europe in Motion˝, European Commission; Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/sites/beta-political/files/juncker-political-guidelines-speech_en.pdf (Accessed: 27 February 2019).

Juncker, Jean-Claude (2015), ˝State of the Union 2015: Time for Honesty, Unity and Solidarity˝. European Commission; Available at: http://euro- pa.eu/rapid/press-release_SPEECH-15-5614_en.htm (Accessed: 14 May 2019).

Juncker, Jean-Claude (2016), ˝State of the Union Address 2016: Towards a better Europe - a Europe that protects, empowers and defends˝, European Commission; Available at: http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_SPEECH-16- 3043_en.htm (Accessed: 14 May 2019).

Juncker, Jean-Claude (2018), ‘State of the Union - The Hour of European Sovereignity˝, European Commission; Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/ commission/sites/beta-political/files/soteu2018-speech_en_0.pdf.

Juncker, Jean-Claude (2017), ˝President Jean-Claude Juncker’s State of the Union Address 2017˝; Available at: http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_SP EECH-17-3165_en.htm.

Keil, Soeren, Bernhard Stahl (2014), ˝Introduction: The Foreign Policies of the Post-Yugoslav States˝, in: Keil, Soeren, Bernhard Stahl (eds.), The Foreign Policies of Post-Yugoslav States From Yugoslavia to Europe, Palgrave Macmillan, London UK, 3-15.

Klein, Josef (2018), ˝Sprache in der Politik˝, in: Liedtke, Frank, Astrid Tuchen (eds.), Handbuch Pragmatik, J. B. Metzler, Stuttgart, 358-369.

Kostić, Marina (2014), ˝Politika proširenja Evropske unije: Koncept, naučene lekcije i slučaj Srbije˝, Srpska politička misao, 45(3), 219-233.

Makul, Anes (2020), ˝Efekti rasta desnog euroskepticizma na politiku proširenja Evropske unije na Zapadni Balkan˝, Društvene i humanističke studije, 4(13), 193-214.

Marciacq, Florent (2019), ˝Serbia. Looking East, going West?˝, in: Bieber, Florian, Nikolaos Tzifakis (eds.), The Western Balkans in the World, Routledge, London, 62-79.

Marks, Gary, Liesbet Hooghe (2009), ˝A Postfunctionalist Theory of European Integration: From Permissive Consensus to Constraining Dissensus˝, British Journal of Political Science, 39(1), 1-23.

Maurer, Andreas, Wolfgang Wessels (2003), ˝The European Union matters: Structuring self-made offers and demands˝, in: Wessels, Wolfgang, Jürgen Mittag, Andreas Maurer (eds.), Fifteen into one?: The European Union and its member states, Manchester University Press, Manchester and New York, 29-56.

Münkler, Herfried (2017), ˝Deutsche Hegemonie in Europa? Über die Rolle und Aufgaben einer ‘Macht in der Mitte’˝, in Rüttgers, Jürgen, Frank Decker (eds.), Europas Ende, Europas Anfang. Neue Perspektiven für die Europäische Union, Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung, Bonn, 103-116.

Nechev, Zoran, Ivan Nikolovski (2019), ˝North Macedonia. A fertile ground for external influences˝, in: Bieber, Florian, Nikolaos Tzifakis (eds.), The Western Balkans in the World, Routledge, London,126-141.

Politico (2018a) Beware Chinese Trojan horses in the Balkans, EU warns, Politico. Available at: https://www.politico.eu/article/johannes-hahn-beware-chinese-trojan-horses-in-the-balkans-eu-warns-enlargement-politico-podcast/ (Accessed: 30 January 2019).

Politico (2018b), ˝Macron pours cold water on Balkan EU membership hopes˝; Available at: https://www.politico.eu/article/emmanuel-macron-pours- cold-water-balkans-eu-membership-enlargement/ (Accessed: 25 May 2018).

Prodi, Romano (2003), ˝Presenting the Thessaloniki European Council˝, European Commission, 1–4. Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/SPEECH_03_311.

Roth, Michael (2018), ˝Der Westbalkan ist Europas Innenhof˝, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 2 June, p. 10. Available at: https://www.auswaertiges- amt.de/de/newsroom/roth-frankfurter-allgemeine/2102814.

Schimmelfennig, Frank (2005), ˝The Community Trap: Liberal Norms, Rhetorical Action, and the Eastern Enlargement of the European Union˝, in: Schimmelfennig, Frank, Ulrich Sedelmeier (eds.), The Politics of European Union Enlargement: Theoretical Approaches. Routledge, London and New York, 142-166.

Sedelmeier, Ulirich (2005), ˝Eastern enlargement: Risk, rationality and rolecompliance˝, in: Schimmelfennig, Frank, Ulrich Sedelmeier (eds.), The Politics of European Union Enlargement: Theoretical Approaches, Routledge, London and New York, 120-137.

Skalnes, Lars S. (2005), ˝Geopolitics and the eastern enlargement of the European Union˝, in: Schimmelfennig, Frank, Ulrich Sedelmeier (eds.), The Politics of European Union Enlargement: Theoretical Approaches, Routledge, London and New York, 213-233.

Službeni list BiH (2018), Službeni glasnik BiH, broj 54/18; Available at: http://www.sluzbenilist.ba/page/akt/pspohz4nh78h77MNQPfc0=.

Sputnik (2018), Objavljeno istraživanje: Šta građani Srbije misle o Kosovu, EU i Rusiji, Sputnjik Srbija; Available at: https://rs-lat.sputniknews.com/ politika/201808281117000579-eu-srbija-gradjani-istrazivanje/ (Accessed: 23 May 2019).

Stronski, Paul, Annie Himes (2019), Russia’s Game in the Balkans, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Washington. Available at: https://carne-gieendowment.org/files/Stronski_Himes_Balkans_formatted.pdf.

Szołucha, Anna (2010), ˝The EU and Enlargement Fatigue: Why has the European Union not been able to counter enlargement fatigue ?˝, Journal of Contempırary European Research, 6(1), 1-16.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation (2016), Foreign Policy Concept of the Russian Federation (approved by President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin on November 30, 2016); Available at: http:// www. mid.ru/en/foreign_policy/official_documents/-/asset_publisher/CptICk B6BZ29/content/id/2542248 (Accessed: 29 May 2019).

Večernji list (2019), ˝Očuvati načela konstitutivnosti sva tri naroda u BiH; Available at: https://www.vecernji.ba/vijesti/ocuvati-nacela-konstitutivnosti-sva-tri-naroda-u-bih-1322792 (Accessed: 19 July 2019).

Visoka, Gëzim (2019), ˝Kosovo. Between Western and non-Western states˝, in: Bieber, Florian, Nikolaos Tzifakis (eds.), The Western Balkans in the World, Routledge, London, 108-122.

Wæver, Ole (1995), ˝Securitization and Desecuritization˝, in Lipschutz, Ronnie D. (ed.) On Security, Columbia University Press, New York, 46-86.

Zeit Online (2017), ˝Balkan: ‘Es reicht ein Streichholz’˝; Available at: https://www.zeit.de/politik/ausland/2017-02/johannes-hahn-kommissar-eu-erweiterung-westbalkanstaaten (Accessed: 26 May 2018).




DOI: https://doi.org/10.51558/2490-3647.2022.7.1.333

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


ISSN: 2490-3604 (print) ● ISSN: 2490-3647 (online)

Društvene i humanističke studije - DHS is under the Creative Commons licence.