Skip to content
European University Institute - Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies

A year later: war in Ukraine and Western Balkan (geo)politics | Schuman Shelf

In this Schuman Shelf, Professor Jelena Džankić presents her latest book co-edited with Simonida Kacarska, and Soeren Keil on the impact of the Ukraine war on the Western Balkans.

16 June 2023 | Publication - Video

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has symbolic, political, and economic impacts on the Western Balkan states, most of which experienced wars throughout the 1990s. It has also put into the limelight the need for rethinking the Union’sown immediate weaknesses such as its engagement with the Western Balkans.

This publication (which coincides with the 20th years anniversary of the Thessalonica Summit when the European Union stated its support for the European future of the Western Balkans) initiates a reflection among different societal and political actors on how to best address the challenges in the region.

Jelena Džankić, one of the editors, explains what the book is about, the motivation to write it, and its key message:

"The consequences of the current war on the Western Balkans have not been linear, and political responses to them have been at best contradictory (...) The results of this incongruence are mixed messages and little clarity on how to move ahead. With this book, we wanted to prize open the box of these contradictions."

Check out the book at this link.

Go to the YouTube channel to watch more Schuman Shelfs.

Last update: 16 June 2023

Go back to top of the page