In its new methodology of the accession process, the EU has defined the rule-of-law as one of its fundamentals simnce 2020, underlining its importance as a core European value. All countries of the Western Balkan, despite reform efforts in the past and present, are struggling with organised crime and corruption, clientelism in their institutions, a weak judiciary and low trust of citizens in the system. The poor condition of the rule of law undermines the public’s trust in the effectiveness of democracy. In the long run, this can have disastrous effects on the democratic consolidation in the Western Balkans.
democratic values
While a (rather small) part of the world is approaching the mostly western yearly festive season and people are evaluating the past year, I, too, look back and assess my personal achievements, but also what we have accomplished as a society. Did we grow, or did we fail? Did we make our society more equal, […]