Dimitar Bechev

Contested borders, contested identity: the case of regionalism in Southeast Europe

Regionalism has become one of the prevailing trends in world politics. Regions are seen as proceeding from socio-economic linkages, but also from shared notions of belonging. There are various approaches to regional identity. While some focus on common culture, language, historical experience, others view regions as a sort of ‘imagined community’ or political constructs. This article takes up the latter view and argues that the redefinition of regional identity exemplified by the substitution of the term ‘Balkans’ with ‘Southeast Europe’ has played a crucial role in the cooperation initiatives since the mid-1990s. It explores schemes such as the South Eastern European Cooperation Process (SEECP) and the Stability Pact for Southeast Europe to highlighting two important conclusions. First, the Southeast European project has been an attempt to overcome the areas marginalization vis-à-vis the West. Second, the emergence of a coherent regional identity was inhibited by the impossibility to draw clear-cut borders in order to demarcate Southeast Europe.

From Policy to Polity: Can the EU's Special Relations with its ‘Neighbourhood’ be Decentred?

The article investigates the institutional and policy choices regarding the EUs relations with the countries and regions covered by the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP). It juxtaposes the notion of special relationship inaugurated by the Lisbon Treaty to three models for organizing relations with proximate countries: pre-accession, the European Economic Area (EEA) and association. The convergence-access paradigm is found to be the basic pillar of the EU approach. The article brings in a series of dilemmas concerning the design and the implementation of the ENP as well as perceptions from selected partner countries. As a potential way to manage tensions and dilemmas inherent in the EU strategy, the article proposes an altogether novel dimension: decentred integration geared towards polity-building that could partially delink convergence and access. The last section maps out four scenarios for the future directions of the ENP that cover the whole continuum from piecemeal enhancement of the policy to the creation of a European Partnership Area underpinned by a new tier of institutions.

The Union for the Mediterranean: A Genuine Breakthrough or More of the Same?

The new French scheme for a Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), officially inaugurated on 13 July, has stirred up a great deal of controversy inside the EU. Even in its watered-down form, the initiative promises to relaunch the stalled relations between the two sides of the Mediterranean in the context of the Barcelona Process. Though vulnerable to all manner of external shocks linked to the multiple inter- and intra-state conflicts around the Mediterranean, the Sarkozy plan is a welcome move to a greater degree of “co-ownership” through the institution of a joint presidency. Of great importance in the interest of overcoming at least some of the problems that have bedeviled the Barcelona Process is further “decentring” of Euro-Med politics away from Brussels and more comprehensive trade opening by the EU.

Between Lofty Rhetoric and Lingering Conflicts: Political Cooperation

Summits and high-profile diplomatic conferences are, beyond doubt, the most visible part of any regional endeavour around the globe. Even if such major get-togethers do not give birth to momentous political decisions, national leaders and top officials never miss a chance to air a message to the outside world and their domestic publics — complete with the obligatory family photo. Events of that sort have marked the ebbs and flows of regionalism in South East Europe since the mid-1990s. To grasp its dynamics, one must consider not just sectoral collaboration, discussed at length in Chapters 4 and 5, but also the Balkan brand of political summitry. Originating in the immediate aftermath of the Dayton peace accords, the South East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) has emerged as a central arena of intra-regional multilateral exchanges, alongside a plethora of ad hoc consultation fora. It is now a common argument that such institutions foster ‘regional ownership’ in the multiple schemes initiated from outside the Balkans, not least through their contribution to the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC). They have furthermore improved relations among states, especially in comparison to the early 1990s when fragmentation and rival alignments were the norm. At the same time, institutions such as SEECP, for all their rhetoric in favour of pragmatic cooperation, have opted for open-ended dialogue rather than formalization and engagement in ambitious integration schemes.

(Trans)Nationalism in Southeast Europe: Constructing, Transcending and Reinforcing Borders

This article serves as a brief introduction to a special focus section in this issue dedicated to transnationalism in Southeast Europe. In this focus section, identities transcending borders or resulting from migration experiences are explored against the background of nationalism, and what is frequently presented as its antidote, transnationalism in the Balkans, Cyprus and Turkey.