In recent years, especially since Russia’s aggression against Ukraine in 2022, the nature of the European Union’s enlargement policy has undergone significant transformation. Traditionally, enlargement was based on the Copenhagen criteria established in 1993, which candidate countries were required to fully meet. In recent years, however, this normative approach has been increasingly complemented by a geopolitical dimension, gradually turning enlargement into an instrument of the EU’s foreign policy. In the Western Balkans, the normative approach has largely stalled, and the region is now becoming a testing ground for geopolitical approaches to enlargement. This raises concerns about the implications for future enlargements — and for the Union itself. Do these new considerations suggest a departure from the EU’s fundamental values such as democracy, the rule of law, and human rights, shifting the primary objective towards stability? Is the very nature of the Union evolving alongside changes in its enlargement policy? This master’s thesis, adopting a constructivist perspective, analyzes the historical development, theoretical foundations, and normative framework of EU enlargement. Using a qualitative and interpretative approach, it explores how Slovenian political decision-makers perceive the current stalemate in Western Balkan enlargement, how they interpret emerging solutions within the new geopolitical context, and how they envision Slovenia’s role and positioning as an EU member state in these processes.
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