Regional Cooperation and EU Accession Perspective of the Western Balkans: Conditionality, Complementarity or Competition?

Since the launch of the Stabilization and Association process for the Western Balkan countries with the EU, the dynamics between regional cooperation and accession perspective of the Western Balkans has oscillated from an element of conditionality (of accession) to a relationship of complementarity to one of competition. Since the introduction of the Growth and Reform Plan for the Western Balkans in 2023, regional cooperation has been re-framed as an instrument for the gradual phasing-in of the region into the Single Market. This paper explores the impact of regional cooperation in general, and Common Regional Market, more specifically, as an instrument for the phasing-in of the regio into the Single Market, and more broadly for its preparedness for full-fledged accession. It does so by focusing on two policy areas of regional cooperation, human capital and mobility.