Western Balkan integration initiatives 2013

By Zeljko Mirkov, Head of BSA South East Europe Programme

Johan Galtung defines reconciliation by using the equation Closure + Healing, which means ending hostilities together with rehabilitation (After Violence, Princeton, New York, 1998) Formation of Yugoslavia was a way of integrating South Slav area after First world war in arrangement of united kingdom of three ethnicities (Serbs, Croats and Slovenians) and after Second world war federal republic of six (three more added - Macedonian, Montenegrin and latter on Bosniak). European Union holds parts of former Yugoslavia as its inner backyard. Italy as a founding member from 1952, Greece in 1981, Austria 1995, Hungary 2004, Romania and Bulgaria 2007 step by step surrounded the area. Slovenia was a republic in Yugoslavia and became member of EU in 2004. Latest to leave the area and join EU was Croatia on July 1st 2013. Prime Minister Zoran Milanović said on that occasion that Croatia could not grow from a small state to a big power but grown from a small state to a small power. This improvement came after membership to NATO and to EU so the tools of power such as veto possibility and necessity of its consent in consensus encompassed the kit of this small power.

Croatia and Slovenia ended hostilities to each other regarding border disputes but problems with reconciliation to the Serbs from Croatia remained. Alphabet issue in those areas where Serbs still constitute important numbers such as one third or more have rose. Although Prime Minister Milanović insists that Serbs have right to use Cyrillic letters and speak Serb dialect of former Croat-Serbian mutual language is not accepted by public, especially war veterans that participated operation Storm in 1995 when Croatia finished Serb resistance by forcing them out.

Minister of foreign affairs of Montenegro Igor Lukšić had in mind parallel integration to the one of EU in what remained of Western Balkan. Montenegro is the second best candidate after Croatia to join EU and leaders of this smallest republic of the former Yugoslavia saw opportunity to be proactive. Montenegro would make deeper cooperation with Serbia, Albania, Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo without being bias to its status respecting UNSC 1244. This new G6 proposal would encompass parliament with ten MPs from each entity, regional council for cooperation with one coordinator each and joined police together with formation of the regional center for fight against corruption and organized crime. Passports would not be necessary to pass mutual borders.

Western Balkan 6 initiative was supported by European Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighborhood Policy, Štefan Füle. Probably there will be no enlargement of EU to the end of this decade and this would be the way to make region busy integrating itself. Existing CEFTA arrangement is not enough to lean on because trade is not the only aspect of economy and it cannot be supported by weak states but as a cluster they may act stronger. The biggest problem  would be to get the prime minister of Serbia without the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Catherine Ashton, with the prime minister of Kosovo* (UNSC 1244), especially the minister of foreign affairs from Belgrade. Serbia restrains its representatives to go to regional or any other meeting where representatives of Prishtina are invited. Constitution is clear and Kosovo cannot become a republic on consent of Belgrade.

Johan Galtung from Norway, famous as a founder of peace studies goes beyond proposals like Lukšić had. Galtung proposed at the conference in Belgrade organized by European Center for Peace and Development and UN University for Peace a union confederation of Serbia, Albania and federated cantons of Kosovo. In the letter sent to this conference the sixth Secretary-General of the UN, Boutros Boutros-Ghali noted his hope that new generations will build family and community of people, ethnic groups and religions like Yugoslavia was. Tito, the Marshall of Yugoslavia and its president for a life time, would be happy to hear about this brotherhood and unity triumph.

On the other hand brotherhood and unity triumph within Albanian ethnicity flourishes. Leaders of Albania, Kosovo, Macedonia and Montenegro met in 2010 in Prizren and established borderless zone without visas as a first step of integration. Three countries bordering Kosovo UNSC 1244 recognized its unilateral declaration of independence. Benelux-type structure bringing together Albania, Macedonia, Montenegro and Kosovo was proposed by Gunther Fehlinger and Ekrem Krasniqi in 2012. Proposal is refreshed in Tirana as initiative of Action Group for Regional Economic and European Integration together with Albanian Liberal Institute.

Out of almost eight million people living in Albania, Macedonia, Montenegro and Kosovo UNSC 1244 more than five million are ethnic Albanians and that would be finalization of the Albanian league dream of 1878 when leaders of this ethnicity met in Prizren proclaiming four provinces of the Ottoman Empire to be only theirs - Vilayet of Shkodra, Vilayet of Janina, Vilayet of Monastir and the Vilayet of Kossova. This was a trigger that made leaders of Macedonia to think twice after recognizing Kosovo unilateral declaration of independence and leave this initiative aside. To balance out the number of Albanians in the region Montenegro would need the Serbs from Serbia, or if Serbia is reluctant to join new G6 where passports would not be necessary to pass borders, Bosnia and Herzegovina at least. Republic of Srpska is equal entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina and will be also reluctant to give consent to such proposal.

Last armed conflict that happened in former Yugoslav republics was in Macedonia 2001. Dozen of years have passed. Last big power air strikes were employed against Serbia in 1999. Almost a decade and a half of peace did not made Western Balkan an area of true peace where people can relax. New borders as wounds in 2006 and 2008 left scar marks. Economy surviving on diaspora remittances is not possible. Ending hostilities without healing is not enough. EU as a project can be the rehabilitating force but making cooperation without it seems impossible.