Dusan Reljic (Beta/Milos Miskov)
The EU has not employed adequate financial tools on its quest for strategic autonomy in the Western Balkans, which is why the EU is doomed to failure, an expert for Southeaster Europe at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), Dusan Reljic.
In an opinion article published on Brussels portal Euractiv (www.euractiv.com) on Sept. 23, the head of the SWP Brussels Office said: “The material, institutional, and political ‘wherewithal’ is essential for the EU’s ability to make its own strategic decisions in foreign policy and security and set and enforce international rules autonomously.”
Noting that the negotiations on the Multiannual Financial Framework (the EU’s budget) offered a possibility to match spending priorities and funding criteria to the requirements of strategic autonomy, Reljic recalled the funds allocated through the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) and concluded that “in truth, the Western Balkans transfer much more resources to the EU each year than they receive from the Union.”
“This relentless depletion, combined with poor governance, corruption and reckless authoritarian rule at home, is one of the most relevant factors preventing the income convergence of the Western Balkans with the EU average,” according to Reljic.
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