EU’s Failure in Europeanizing Montenegro

Mgr. Vladimir Vučković

Doctoral thesis

Abstract:

This research aims to examine Europeanization of Montenegro as a good new story example of the Western Balkans through EU impact on domestic governmental changes by focusing on three political membership conditions: judicial reform, fight against the corruption, and strengthening regional cooperation and development of good neighbourly relations. The study is based on the argument of the EU transformative power having produced negatively reinforcing effects in key accession criteria in the candidate country in the period between 2007 and 2017, which significantly differs from outcomes of a considerable number of Europeanization scholars. The given deficiency of fulfilment of political conditions in Montenegro is, on the one hand, primarily the result of an inconsistent and inefficient EU conditional policy, and unfavourable domestic factors to appropriately conduct reform activities, thus resulting in generally weak and mitigating reform progress. In addition, in line with the applied theoretical approach, it reveals that the Europeanization theory as presented by Schimmelfennig and Sedelmeier is not fully applicable to the complex processes in the Western Balkans. It requires additional academic attention in redefining current theoretical concepts so as to be properly adjusted to specific Western Balkans circumstances and conditions. This research, therefore, shall provide insights in this regard by filling the existing research gaps in the appropriate academic scholarship, particularly so in the field of European integration, EU studies, small state studies and the Western Balkans politics in general.

Abstract:

This research aims to examine Europeanization of Montenegro as a good new story example of the Western Balkans through EU impact on domestic governmental changes by focusing on three political membership conditions: judicial reform, fight against the corruption, and strengthening regional cooperation and development of good neighbourly relations. The study is based on the argument of the EU transformative power having produced negatively reinforcing effects in key accession criteria in the candidate country in the period between 2007 and 2017, which significantly differs from outcomes of a considerable number of Europeanization scholars. The given deficiency of fulfilment of political conditions in Montenegro is, on the one hand, primarily the result of an inconsistent and inefficient EU conditional policy, and unfavourable domestic factors to appropriately conduct reform activities, thus resulting in generally weak and mitigating reform progress. In addition, in line with the applied theoretical approach, it reveals that the Europeanization theory as presented by Schimmelfennig and Sedelmeier is not fully applicable to the complex processes in the Western Balkans. It requires additional academic attention in redefining current theoretical concepts so as to be properly adjusted to specific Western Balkans circumstances and conditions. This research, therefore, shall provide insights in this regard by filling the existing research gaps in the appropriate academic scholarship, particularly so in the field of European integration, EU studies, small state studies and the Western Balkans politics in general.

Keywords

EU, Europeanization, conditional policy, membership criteria, Montenegro

Language used: English

Date on which the thesis was submitted / produced: 24. 4. 2018

Thesis defence

• Date of defence: 27. 6. 2018
• Supervisor: prof. PhDr. Vít Hloušek, Ph.D.
• Reader: Marko Stojić, Ph.D., Branislav Radeljić, PhD, SFHEA

Masaryk University

Faculty of Social Studies

Doctoral programme / field:
International Territorial Studies (4-years) / International Relations (Eng.)