The impact of EU conditionality on civil society development in the Balkans: Eastern and Western Balkans in comparative perspective

Abstract

This paper seeks to examine the relationship between EU conditionality and civil society development in the Balkans. After discussing relevant concepts pertaining to civil society development in the post-communist world, Europeanization, EU governance and foreign policy as well as theories of social capital building, two cases studies are introduced and compared, namely Serbia and Romania, representing the Western and the Eastern Balkan region respectively. The comparison aims to provide insight on the impact of EU conditionality on the trajectory of each country’s civil sector in the last two decades, expecting that civil society would be gradually strengthened due to increasing EU integration over time. The findings of the research suggest that while compliance with EU conditionality has resulted in increased performance in formal institutions which according to the institutional theory of trust is key for the creation of a vibrant civil society, it does not appear to have resulted in significant improvements in the viability of the civil sector or, more importantly, in the willingness of citizens to participate in civil society organizations in either of the two countries.