Regional Integration through the Stability Pact
erschienen in der Publikation "The Stability Pact for South East Europe - Dawn of an Era of Regional Co-operation" (ISBN: 3-901328-75-0) - November 2002
Autor(en):
Dr. Frédéric LabarreThemen:
KonfliktforschungRegion(en):
Balkan und Südosteuropa
21 Seiten (47 KB)
Schlagworte zu diesem Beitrag:
Europa, EU, Stabilisierung, Demokratisierung, Stabilitätspakt
Abstract:
This paper attempts to argue that the current structure of relations in South East Europe (SEE) and in the Balkans in particular requires regional, or local, integration before any membership in greater bodies (like the European Union) can be considered.
To demonstrate this, I will require a more specific definition of just what is integration. The end of the Cold War has articulated the proposition that the amenities of the West could be extended to former communist societies in the wake of their transition to a market economy. Implicitly, this would mean that there are material rewards for the majority (although these may be reaped in a relatively distant future) of peoples and countries hoping (sometimes expecting) to one day be members of the EU. During the 12-odd years that we have been living in the post-Cold War world, the necessities of membership and reform have been so pressing as to make these two concepts identical. In other words it seems that integration is only seen in its legal or geopolitical sense, and is limited to the goal of EU membership.
Integration is much more than that, and a large part of this paper focuses on a definition of membership that puts the onus on a deep transformation (or at least reassessment) of the identity of the would-be EU members. The second part of this paper describes the spirit of the Stability Pact as a tool of integration that is informed by a logic of cooperation and interdependence. This is a significant departure from the recent Balkan history to say the least. Therefore, a theoretical shift must precede the attitudinal shift. Realist policy-making must cede before institutionalism. This change, if the Stability Pact (in effect a legal illustration of liberal-institutionalism) is to succeed, must be made consciously. That is, theory must become policy.
To demonstrate this, I will require a more specific definition of just what is integration. The end of the Cold War has articulated the proposition that the amenities of the West could be extended to former communist societies in the wake of their transition to a market economy. Implicitly, this would mean that there are material rewards for the majority (although these may be reaped in a relatively distant future) of peoples and countries hoping (sometimes expecting) to one day be members of the EU. During the 12-odd years that we have been living in the post-Cold War world, the necessities of membership and reform have been so pressing as to make these two concepts identical. In other words it seems that integration is only seen in its legal or geopolitical sense, and is limited to the goal of EU membership.
Integration is much more than that, and a large part of this paper focuses on a definition of membership that puts the onus on a deep transformation (or at least reassessment) of the identity of the would-be EU members. The second part of this paper describes the spirit of the Stability Pact as a tool of integration that is informed by a logic of cooperation and interdependence. This is a significant departure from the recent Balkan history to say the least. Therefore, a theoretical shift must precede the attitudinal shift. Realist policy-making must cede before institutionalism. This change, if the Stability Pact (in effect a legal illustration of liberal-institutionalism) is to succeed, must be made consciously. That is, theory must become policy.