The regional integration with the CEFTA significantly influenced the
liberalisation of the market, which led to an increase in exports of
agri-food products in the Western Balkan economies. The main ...objective of
this paper is to examine the impact of the CEFTA on the export of agrifood
products of Western Balkan economies on the global and regional markets. In
this context, comparative advantages have been analysed, and the gravity
model based on panel data has been estimated. According to the results, all
the Western Balkan economies have comparative advantages in exporting on the
international market. Results of the gravity model estimation showed that
free trade agreements with the CEFTA positively affected the intensification
of agri-food product exports. Western Balkan economies have similar economic
development and competitiveness levels. Thus, reintegrating the market
established by CEFTA affected the export of agri-food products.
Since the beginning of the 1990s, the Western Balkans have embarked on a complex path of transition and societal transformation, that was intended to eventually lead to their integration into the ...European Union. The pace of this process has, however, varied, with some countries already having acquired membership, while others still struggling. Territorial governance plays a particularly important role in this process, as the internal cohesion of the region is key to its successful integration into the EU. However, knowledge on territorial governance in the Western Balkans is still limited and fragmented. This special issue aims to shed some light on the matter, discussing territorial governance contexts and practices in the Western Balkans from a multi-scalar perspective. This editorial serves as an introduction to the special issue, framing its context and guiding the reader through the articles that follow.
Background: The Western Balkan region has long struggled under extensive pressure and influence from Russia and the West. World developments have occasionally echoed tensions among nations in the ...region, including a prolonged EU and NATO membership process, which has increased the possibility of Russia’s influence, especially after the aggression in Ukraine. This article analyses the increase in Russia – Ukraine tensions and its direct correlation with the increase of tensions in the Western Balkans through hybrid war methods understood through Zhyhlei and Syvak’s definition: “a fragmentary and situational combination of different methods and theories of war, their integration into different spheres, especially political, religious, ideological, ethical, economic and informational.”5 The higher Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, the higher the pressure on Serbia to fuel tensions in the Western Balkans. This pressure comes through direct threats, media propaganda, and influence on parallel structures and financial support for CSOs, through which Russia increases its influence in the Balkans through Serbia as its closest ally. This influence strategy is particularly important for Russia to undermine the power and influence of the West and NATO in former Yugoslav states, especially those with open conflicts which serve as a global distraction from a possible power decline in Ukraine.
Methods: Through discourse and thematic analysis, this article analyses local, regional, and international media, data, and publications of international organisations, press releases of international and regional institutions, conclusions of distinguished scientists and heads of state over the current situation in the Western Balkans, and interviews with representatives of CSOs and institutions in Kosovo. The influence of Russian aggression in Ukraine, with Russia’s pressure to increase tensions in the Western Balkans, has been analysed in the framework of Western unipolar influence and Russia’s attempts to return to multipolarity.
Results and Conclusion: Among others, it is concluded that Russian influence is present in the Western Balkans and seeks to destabilise the region by activating passive conflicts from the past or opening new conflicts to defer international attention from the power decline in Ukraine, which did not produce the results that Russia had expected. This is possible through Serbia, Russia’s closest ally. The solution to prevent Russian influence and any future conflicts among Balkan states is to accelerate NATO and EU’s integration of Western Balkan countries.
The Balkans should be viewed through the prism of the interests and policies of the superpowers, including Russia, which have long left their mark on its history and fate. The partial interests of ...powerful states, arbitration and division, reinforced by prejudice and ignorance, were many times more important in the Balkans than the fate of its inhabitants. It was in this neuralgic space that „exams for entering, ie for leaving the club of great powers“ were taken. The main motive is not love, hate, friendship, spiritual or religious kinship, but interest - one of the main motives in their politics. When they do not have it, then they are, in principle, inert. Knowing the interesting logic of powerful states is an important condition for the survival of „small nations“. Past historical events play an important role in politics and strategic thinking. Most theorists of international relations treat diplomacy as a factor of national power, which ensures the implementation of foreign policy without the use of violence. Its history consists of constant attempts to overcome „realism over idealism and vice versa“. Changes in the balance of power in international relations always create space for new conflicts. In Europe, wrote Milan Kundera, there are large countries on one side and small ones on the other; there are powerful nations in the negotiating halls and those who wait all night in the foyer. The study of the time of the disintegration of the Yugoslav state and the facts of the „post-Yugoslav wars“, especially the one in Bosnia and Herzegovina, is very complex. Some researchers believe that this period is not yet a real „history“, that many questions can still be asked, while many more precise answers are more speculated than is known. Particularly problematic is the so-called secret diplomacy, that is, the hidden history of the actors of the Yugoslav crisis - the basis for understanding the course of events. Many accompanying segments therefore elude more studious analysis. It is a mosaic with places where cubes are missing. It is difficult to define the spirit of the time in many ways only on the basis of available documents and existing literature, to state „one's truth“ about the recent past. The disappearance of the Yugoslav state union and the emergence of post-Yugoslav states on the new political map of Europe have complicated the efforts of Russian scientists to interpret their past and present. Political relations, disputes and positioning, also affect historiographies, influence the choice and processing of research topics. According to some theses, the disintegration of the USSR and SFR Yugoslavia, as well as the commercialization of the Internet, are „three border events with global consequences“ that mark 1991 as the beginning of the 21st century. Since the Russian Federation was the initiator of the overthrow of the Soviet Union, it could not advocate a united Yugoslavia. There were therefore no obstacles for the new Kremlin authorities to recognize the independence of the former Yugoslav republics. Russia recognized Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1992, but did not establish diplomatic relations with it until 1996. During the post-Yugoslav wars, in an effort to join Europe's new security system, Russia largely supported Western policies until President Boris Yeltsin (BN Yeltsin) stepped down in 1999. The Yugoslav crisis and the post-Yugoslav wars helped Russia regain its place on the world international stage after the collapse of the Soviet Union, thanks to its „ad hoc approach to regional conflicts.“ Russia's engagement during the breakup of Yugoslavia and the post-Yugoslav wars largely reflected the then maneuvers of Russian diplomacy and a kind of exchange of Russian support for Western countries in the „Yugoslav question“, for concessions concerning Russia's interests in much more important issues
North Macedonia is a crucial region for understanding the spread of agriculture into the Mediterranean and Central Europe. To date, however, the area has been subject to relatively limited ...archaeological research. Here, the authors present use-wear and archaeobotanical analyses on material from two Neolithic sites, Govrelevo and Vrbjanska Čuka, to investigate practices that were previously unstudied in this part of the Balkans, such as sowing, cultivation and harvesting techniques. The results suggest the presence of permanent crop fields located in wetlands, with autumn and spring sowing, and harvesting using curved sickles. The study illuminates early agricultural practices in North Macedonia and adds to our knowledge of the spread of the Neolithic package across Europe.
This study elaborates on the European Union’s (EU) Balkan policies evaluating the developments in the Western Balkans from the post-Cold War era until today. In addition, the study will tackle the EU ...policies and practices in the Western Balkans on the basis of the principles of the domino theory. In this context, the EU believes that destabilisation due to conflicts in former Yugoslavia after disintegration has also destabilised other countries in the region in domino effect. This situation means both the region and the EU will encounter security threat. In this regard, the study dwells upon EU policies in the region to provide financial aid in an attempt to ensure development and sustainability which will foster stability on the basis of the assumption that these countries in the region will be accepted to the EU as member countries after ensuring stability.
Bosnia and Herzegovina has responded to the COVID-19 pandemic by implementing quarantine and other social distancing measures. These measures, however, have mental, social, and economic consequences ...on diet and food behaviors. The Bosnian case is particularly pertinent since the country has one of the highest global mortality rates relative to its population. In addition, its health system is fragmented and under-resourced. Consequently, in this study, we analyze the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on Bosnians’ behaviors relating to food. It is based on an online survey performed during October–November 2020 with 3133 adult respondents. The statistical analysis encompassed descriptive statistics (means, percentages, and frequencies), as well as cluster analysis. The results reveal that the pandemic transformed consumers’ shopping behaviors and food sourcing, reducing shopping frequency and increasing food bought on each trip. Furthermore, there was an increase in the consumption of local food items due to food safety concerns. Additionally, the pandemic improved the awareness of Bosnians towards food with a decrease in food waste. Regarding diets, Bosnians tried to have healthier diets during the pandemic. Therefore, COVID-19 might have opened a ‘window of opportunity’ to promote the shift towards more sustainable food consumption and lifestyles.
The Peloponnese wall lizard, Podarcis peloponnesiacus, is endemic to the Peloponnese. Although the phylogeny and species diversity of the Balkan species of Podarcis have been extensively studied, the ...intraspecific relationships of P. peloponnesiacus are not yet well defined. The aim of this study was to investigate the intraspecific diversity in this species and clarify its taxonomic status by analyzing eight gene fragments (two mitochondrial and six nuclear) and several morphological traits, typically used for systematic inferences within the genus Podarcis. Together with ecological niche modeling, we provided an integrative evaluation of the differentiation between lineages. The combination of several phylogenetic, species delimitation, and chronophylogenetic analyses revealed the existence of two highly supported and divergent clades with a distinct geographical and parapatric distribution and high niche overlap. The differentiation of the two clades dates back to the Pleistocene and is probably correlated with the paleogeography of the Peloponnese. These clades also differed in several phenotypic traits, which, however, exhibit extensive overlap and are not fully diagnostic. The combination of the above results allowed us to identify the two revealed clades as distinct species.
We investigated the intraspecific phylogenetic relationships and clarified the taxonomic status of Podarcis peloponnesiacus (endemic species to the Peloponnese, Greece) by analyzing eight gene fragments (two mitochondrial and six nuclear) and several morphological traits, together with ecological niche modeling. We consistently uncovered two, highly supported, clades within P. peloponnesiacus with distinct geographic distribution, which have diverged in Pleistocene. The combination of our results allowed us to identify the two revealed clades as distinct species: P. peloponnesiacus and P. thais.
The goal of this paper is to analyze recent developments in the renewable energy sector in the Western Balkans – Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and ...Slovenia. In order to achieve this goal, existing knowledge gaps regarding the use of renewable energy as a share of the region׳s final energy consumption had to be filled in. This was done by creating a reliable model for the calculation of these shares for the years 2010 and 2011. The results were then put together with the official data for the years 2009, 2012, and 2013, and a linear trend forecast was included based on the combined data. In this way it was possible to make an estimation of the time frame in which the countries with positive linear trend results would reach their renewable energy use targets. The results of the analysis show inconsistent development of renewable energy sources for countries outside of the EU. Combined with political challenges, such as the natural gas crisis of 2009, this creates increased volatility in the proportion of renewable energy in final energy consumption. Additionally, regulatory and market issues ranging from a lack of appropriate legislation and complicated administrative procedures, to poor coordination between various institutions act as barriers to increased investment in renewable energy.
Fertility decline in central and eastern Europe (CEE) since the fall of the communist regimes has been driven by both stopping and postponement of childbearing: two processes that have been related ...to crisis and economic development, respectively. In the Western Balkans these economic and political contexts followed each other in the form of a biphasic transition. I examine whether this sequence triggered fertility responses like those observed elsewhere. Relying on three independent data sources, I cross-validate the levels of, and describe the trends in, union formation and fertility (by birth order) between 1980 and 2010. Results do not reveal widespread declines in fertility to lowest-low levels during the most acute period of crisis. The subsequent postponement of marriage and first birth was also limited, and the two-child family remains the norm. This relative resilience of childbearing patterns compared with other CEE countries is discussed with reference to the institutional context.
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