The National Politics of EU Enlargement in the Western Balkans The Southeast Europe and Black Sea Series

The National Politics of EU Enlargement in the Western Balkans examines the way in which a number of European Union member states, including Germany and France, formulate their policies towards enlargement in the Western Balkans.

The six countries of the Western Balkans ? Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia ? are on course to become the next members of the European Union. While there has been a lot of work on the ways in which these countries are preparing for accession, and how the EU as a whole approaches the question of expansion, very little attention has been paid to how individual EU member states regard enlargement into a region that presents a number of serious challenges, including the legacies of the conflicts of the 1990s, economic underdevelopment and poor governance. Focusing on key states, such as Germany, France and Italy, the neighbouring countries of Central and South East Europe, and Britain, once a leading advocate of enlargement that is now in the process of leaving the European Union, this volume casts important new empirical and conceptual light on the diverse motivations that underpin member state attitudes towards EU enlargement.

The National Politics of EU Enlargement in the Western Balkans will be of great interest to scholars of the European Union, European politics, and the politics of the Western Balkans. The chapters were originally published as a special issue of Southeast European and Black Sea Studies.

Introduction The National Politics of EU Enlargement in the Western Balkans James Ker-Lindsay, Ioannis Armakolas, Rosa Balfour and Corina Stratulat 1. Firm supporter and severe critic: Germany’s two-pronged approach to EU enlargement in the Western Balkans Theresia Töglhofer and Cornelius Adebahr 2. Between indifference and hesitation: France and EU enlargement towards the Balkans Natasha Wunsch 3. The United Kingdom and EU enlargement in the Western Balkans: from ardent champion of expansion to Post-Brexit irrelevance James Ker-Lindsay 4. Italy and EU enlargement to the Western Balkans: the Europeanization of national interests? Andrea Frontini and Davide Denti 5. Eurosceptic yet pro-enlargement: the paradoxes of Hungary’s EU policy Beáta Huszka 6. Greece and EU enlargement to the Western Balkans: understanding an ambivalent relationship Ioannis Armakolas and Giorgos Triantafyllou 7. Cyprus and EU enlargement to the Western Balkans: a balancing act Isabelle Ioannides

James Ker-Lindsay is Visiting Professor at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Ioannis Armakolas is Assistant Professor at the University of Macedonia and Senior Research Fellow at ELIAMEP.

Rosa Balfour is Senior Fellow at The German Marshall Fund of the United States.

Corina Stratulat is Head of the European Politics and Institutions Programme at the European Policy Centre.