The Phasing-in Approach for Accelerated Integration into the European Union, or Encapsulation into the Western Balkans

Abstract

The war in Ukraine and the vulnerability of the Western Balkans clearly highlight how important it is to complete the unification of the European Union. The EU and the Western Balkans share geopolitical interests, and the accession negotiations should be seen as a new opportunity for accelerated integration, based on conditionalities. A new enlargement methodology as a general political framework has been transposed into the new generation of negotiation frameworks for North Macedonia and Albania. One of the key novelties of the new methodology is the potential for accelerated integration and (gradual) “phasing-in” to individual EU policies, the EU market, and EU programs, coupled with increased funding and investments. The main pillars of the enlargement package are the EU fundamentals. Why not start mirroring those fundamentals in practice, bringing the accession negotiations closer to key areas of mutual interest, such as the European Rule of Law Mechanism, through phasing-in to the European Semester, followed by the European Single Market, supported through the IPA instrument, and consider establishing a Western Balkans Cohesion Fund? These are complex mechanisms and therefore, beginning at an early stage would be highly beneficial for both sides.