Milenković, Miloš and Milenković, Marko (2026) The culturalization of bilateral conditionality: heritage, identity, and EU enlargement in the Western Balkans. Southeast European and Black Sea Studies, 26. pp. 1-18. ISSN 1468-3857 (Submitted)
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The EU enlargement to the Western Balkans differs from previous rounds of enlargement by an unprecedented rise of conditionality, both imposed by the EU institutions or individual member states bilaterally. In addition to the standard set of conditions aimed at legal, economic, and political transformation of societies, these criteria were introduced to prioritize regional reconciliation and address the recent past. However, a number of bilateral conditions have emerged that are perceived as non-technical and primarily focus on history, heritage, and cultural identity, effectively blocking candidates’ advancement to the EU membership. It is argued in the article that these sets of conditions are counter-indicative for the enlargement agenda, stimulating divisions, and opening space for non-EU actors. Drawing from interdisciplinary comparative regional research on bilateral culturalized conditionality, the article addresses how research-based inclusive intangible cultural heritage (ICH) safeguarding can assist in resolving identity conflicts and contribute to unblocking EU integration.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Institutional centre: | Centre for legal research |
| Depositing User: | D. Arsenijević |
| Date Deposited: | 07 May 2026 08:14 |
| Last Modified: | 07 May 2026 08:14 |
| URI: | http://iriss.idn.org.rs/id/eprint/2956 |
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