EU Macro-Regional Strategy in the Adriatic and Ionian Region: A Territorial Perspective on the EU Enlargement Policy

ABSTRACT

Policies of territorial cooperation, including macro-regional strategies, have been a crucial component in the making of the EU space, and constitute an element of the approach adopted by the Union towards its neighbouring countries. Based on the results of in-depth interviews with 37 stakeholders from different countries and EU institutions, the article explores the potentialities and limits of the European Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region (EUSAIR) to contribute to the EU enlargement towards the Western Balkan countries. Despite the limits that still hinder the full potential of the strategy, we argue that a de-centred perspective may contribute to overcoming the stalemate of the enlargement process, as long as the potentiality of a territorial approach is fully recognized and boosted.

Acknowledgments

This work is based on the interviews conducted for the study “Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region (EUSAIR) facilitating the enlargement process of Western Balkans”, carried out by OBCT and CeSPI and coordinated by Luisa Chiodi, with the collaboration of Raffaella Coletti. We acknowledge the financial contribution of the DG REGIO and we thank Giuseppe Di Paola and Gilles Kittel (European Commission) and all the members of the research team (Caterina Ghobert, Gentiola Madhi, Francesca Rita, Alfredo Sasso, Andrea Stocchiero). We wish to dedicate the paper to the loving memory of our friend and colleague Alessandro Rotta, who devoted his professional life to the Balkans and the Caucasus and passed away too soon while we were revising this article.

Notes

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[21] More specifically, the AII Round Tables were transformed in tools at disposal of the EUSAIR governance through a direct involvement of stakeholders. More information are available on the AII website: www.aii-ps.org (accessed 30, march 2024).

[22] See the Sarajevo Declaration of 24 May 2023, available at: https://www.adriatic-ionian.eu/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/SARAJEVO-DECLARATION_FINAL.pdf (accessed 11, April 2024).

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