Original scientific paper

Rocky Road to Europe: Disciplining Croatia and Montenegro through the Accession Process

Sanja Hajdinjak ; Central European University

Abstract

The article explores the Croatian and Montenegrin EU accession path as a two-sided disciplining process established through the negotiations. The “success” of the EU’s civilising mission in the two countries is determined through the feedback/dialogue relationship formed between the EU and the candidate country. I analyse two aspects of the accession negotiations: cooperation with the ICTY and the rule of law institutions. In Croatia, the domestic elites’ determination to ensure the membership paired up with the EU’s civilising mission in the Balkans. In Montenegro, the EU membership has not outright represented the mythical return to Europe, hence initially self-civilising was not high on the list of the priorities. Moreover, Montenegro was the success story of the Balkans and the EU initially did not insist on the institutional development. The paper contributes to the wider EU enlargement literature by specifically emphasizing the cultural studies framework and by emphasizing the importance of the overlooked feedback/dialogue characteristics of the accession process.

Keywords

Croatia; Montenegro; European Union; Accession Process; Balkans

Hrčak ID:

159914

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/159914

Publication date:

15.3.2016.

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