European Union accession conditionality and norm transfer: foreign policy alignment in the Western Balkans

Abstract

This Master's thesis focuses on European Union's accession conditionality in the Western Balkans countries in relation to their foreign policy alignment after the Ukrainian crisis and the annexation of Crimea in March 2014. More specifically, it analyses the alignment of current official and potential candidate states with sanctions on Russia. The alignment of enlargement countries is necessary for both the candidate countries if they intend to become members as well as for the EU itself as the former need to fully adopt all acquis and the latter needs to preserve its capability to “speak in a single voice” and continue promoting its values abroad. The main aim of the thesis is to ascertain whether EU's conditionality is credible for current enlargement countries. As foreign policy alignment is part of non-negotiable criteria for accession, the extent of alignment and the reasons why these states have aligned or not aligned with sanctions on Russia is analysed. In doing so, the focus is on the normative basis of policy positions and the role of EU values in the statements of government representatives. The thesis firstly elaborates on the importance of enlargement, foreign policy alignment and norm transfer, and then moves on to analyse whether the EU puts pressure on candidate states to align, and how government officials publicly respond to this pressure. Secondly, the thesis moves on to analyse the substance of the explanations of Western Balkan government representatives and the possible variety of domestic actors who might be interested in promoting an alternative foreign policy agenda. Results show that most non-aligning Western Balkan states refuse to join sanctions due to their rational interests and/or close relations with Russia. Furthermore, there are also countries that already align, but have joined EU sanctions partly due to their own self-interest. All in all, research shows that even though the EU is a union based on certain norms and values, there is little to prove that its norms have been internalised by enlargement countries. Therefore, if the intention would be to speed up the enlargement process and ensure future unity, more attention needs to be given to the normative basis of EU foreign policy.