The Western Balkans: In the EU waiting room

Vedran Dzihic in conversation with Krsto Lazarević, Franziska Tschinderle and Danijel Majić

THE WEST BALKANS
In the EU waiting room

Since the war in Ukraine, there has been renewed discussion about something that was almost declared dead: Enlargement. The EU wants to accept new members again, at least that's what the Commission in Brussels is signalling. But can it succeed? A union that stretches from Helsinki to Tirana, from Lisbon to Chisinau?

One thing is certain: Never before in the history of the EU has there been no enlargement for so long. For almost a quarter of a century, six states in the so-called Western Balkans have been waiting for membership. A new book sheds light on their fate in the EU waiting room. Will Montenegro become the 28th member of the EU? Can a country like Serbia, where President Vučić's rule is increasingly authoritarian and there are historically close ties to Russia, really be accepted? And why is tiny Albania suddenly seen as the new frontrunner?

Journalist Franziska Tschinderle and journalists Krsto Lazarević and Danijel Majić have been reporting from the region for years. In their book, they give voice to a variety of perspectives and analyse the central political conflicts and players. They analyse the name dispute over North Macedonia, the political blockade in Bosnia-Herzegovina, the latest corruption scandals in Albania and the mass protests in Serbia. But above all, the big question hanging over enlargement: do we have to grow again in order to become a geopolitical player? Or could we end up collapsing as a result?

This and much more will be discussed at the Kreisky Forum.

Krsto Lazarević, born in 1989, is a journalist. He has reported on south-east Europe for German-language media from Belgrade, Sarajevo and Vienna. He has also worked in the European Parliament and for the European press review euro|topics. Alongside Danijel Majic', he is one of the two hosts of the podcast „News from the Balla-balla-Balkans“.

Franziska Tschinderle, born in 1994, is a journalist specialising in South-East Europe. She writes for the foreign policy section of the Austrian news magazine profile. She has lived in the Albanian capital Tirana since 2022 and reports from there for various German-language media.

Danijel Majić, born in 1981, works as a freelance journalist, primarily for Hessischer Rundfunk. Previously, he was editor of the Frankfurter Rundschau. Together with Krsto Lazarevic' he produces and hosts the podcast „News from the Ballaballa Balkans“.

Moderation
Vedran Dzihic, Senior Researcher at the Austrian Institute for International Politics (oiip); teaches at the University of Vienna and at the University of Applied Arts Vienna; Head of the Centre of Advanced Studies Southeastern Europe at the University of Rijeka, member of the „Balkans in Europe Policy Advisory Group“ (BiEPAG); together with partners he coordinates the Engaged Democracy Initiative (EDI) of the European Fund for the Balkans.

Photo credit: ©Marco Frauchiger (History Festival Bern)

Krsto Lazarević, Franziska Tschinderle and Danijel Majić
The Western Balkans. In the waiting room of the EU
Federal Agency for Civic Education, Bonn, November 2025; 5,- €