The Visegrád Group and the European integration of the Western Balkans

The European Union enlargement policy is a key driver of European integration and an effective foreign policy tool for the democratisation of European countries. By being Member States for almost two decades, the Visegrad Group countries act as a successful example of such democratic and economic transformation. Today the enlargement agenda of the European Union is concentrated on the Western Balkans, where the perspective of European Union membership has been a stimulus for stabilisation and democratic transformation. Sharing numerous ties and similarities with the Western Balkans, the Visegrad Group countries are staunch supporters of European Union enlargement to the region and can positively influence the Western Balkan countries’ accession process. The thesis aims to evaluate the Visegrad Group’s approach to the Western Balkans’ European integration and its impact on the region’s accession process. The study concentrates on the Visegrad Group states’ collective and individual approach to the Western Balkans and their European integration. The analysis of the Visegrad states’ enlargement policies and Visegrad Members of the European Parliament enlargement discourses shows that the Visegrad Group’s approach to the Western Balkans’ enlargement is largely determined by the national interests of the countries, such as security and extending their influence on the European level. The positive impact of the Visegrad states’ active support is overshadowed by their conflicting foreign policy priorities and visions on European integration, the lack of sufficient coordination, and Hungary’s and Poland’s democratic backsliding. Consequently, these challenges limit the Visegrad Group states’ ability to exert a decisive influence on the democratisation and European integration processes in the Western Balkans.