Democracy

Brussels, 21 November 2024 – “The EU integration process should not be a transactional relation between EU Member States and candidate countries, but a truly transformational path based on democratic values and human rights.” – was the main message which was conveyed by the members of the Western Balkans 6 Strategy Group during the advocacy visit with stakeholders in Brussels. 

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In traumatised societies faced with a mass exodus of the population and further social decay, the highest price is paid by vulnerable social classes and marginal groups. For the ruling structures, obsessed with machismo-understood national interests, these layers and groups are possibly only important on election day. Although the legal regulation of violence against women has been significantly improved, it is minimally reported, female victims suffer it for many years in isolation, and budget allocations for safe houses remain minimal. Research shows that almost four out of ten women in Bosnia and Herzegovina have experienced psychological, physical, or sexual violence after the age of 15, but even these data are not sufficient to finally treat it seriously, as well as the recent, brutal cases of femicide. 

Therefore, one of the key points of interest for the public is how much the VMRO-DPMNE party has changed in the past seven years under Mickoski’s leadership and how much it has distanced itself from the past behavior.

Vienna, 13 June 2024 - The June 2024 EU elections hold significant implications for the Western Balkans (WB), a region whose political and economic stability is closely intertwined with European integration and which requires focused attention from the EU.

Moving forward, it is imperative to strengthen mechanisms for safeguarding the rights and safety of those targeted by anti-gender mobilizations.

The process of regional and internal consolidation of Western Balkan (WB) countries remains incomplete, with the legacy of conflict still exerting significant influence. Since the beginning of Russian aggression in Ukraine in 2022, the European Union and the US have shifted their focus towards security issues. The Western Balkans exemplify how post-conflict societal transformation is as crucial as war prevention.

It took a decade for this made-up idea of “gender ideology” to gain traction, inspiring large-scale mobilizations. Only after the economic recession in the first decade of the new millennium, after the “migrant crisis” and after the rise of populist politics, the time was ripe for the idea of “gender ideology” to gain mobilizing power.

The Kosovo war of 25 years ago serves as a reminder that frozen conflicts and bilateral disputes cannot be swept under the rug for long. In the current geopolitical environment, they will blow up in Europe’s face.

The full and strategic alignment of policies and strategies between the United States and the EU regarding the Western Balkans region needs to be prioritized in the current challenging security context. It has worked before and will work again.