ABSTRACT
From a historical perspective, Balkan international affairs have been closely linked to the stability of the broader Mediterranean basin. This study focuses on the historical rationale for the European Union’s involvement in the Western Balkans in view of this ‘stability’ aim. Looking back at the development of the European Community’s policy on former Yugoslavia, this contribution then addresses the main phases in the European Union’s involvement in the region, from the post-war period (1995–1999) to the launch of the Stability and Association Process and the controversial deployment of the enlargement agenda in the 2000s and 2010s. The contribution is based on primary sources in the archives of European institutions and on published EC/EU institutional documents.
