Review article
Minority Issues in the Western Balkans – Their Importance and Permanent Bilateral Actualization
Dragan Đukanović
; Senior Research Associate, Institute for International Politics and Economy, Belgrade, Serbia
Abstract
The author analyzes the significance of issues related to the status of ethnic minorities in the Western Balkans. According to the author, in many ways these are still inadequately resolved and require, in addition to the proper implementation of international and European standards in this respect, the change in practice, which actually involves non-discrimination. In this sense, the paper analyzes how these issues affect the bilateral relations between the countries of the Western Balkans, as well as their neighbors, that are already members of the European Union (Croatia, Hungary, Greece, Romania and Bulgaria). Therefore, the author concludes that in the future course of European integration of the Western Balkans countries, minority issues and regulation of their status will appear topical and often decisive when it comes to EU membership. However, he argues that the solution for these issues will not be easily reachable and that the process will take a longer period.
Keywords
Western Balkans; ethnic minorities; bilateral relations; the European Union
Hrčak ID:
198077
URI
Publication date:
1.6.2017.
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