ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces the volume and outlines a shared framework for examining the conditions that ensure the sustainability of reforms in Western Balkan (WB) countries within the context of European Union's (EU's) accession. It argues that, in today's era of overlapping crises, enlargement should be judged less by theformal acquis transposition and more by resilient transformation—reforms that take root in everyday practice, improve through learning and adaptation, persist through shocks andelectoral turnover, and distribute costs and benefits fairly. Bringing together insights from resilience and Europeanisation research, the chapter defines transformational internalisation through three dimensions —depth, durability, and distribution, and connects them to EU credibility, governance, and democracy, as well as the intertwined economic, digital, and green transitions. Applied to the volume's contributions, this framework seeks to explain adoption–implementation gaps and map key conditions under which durable, socially legitimate convergence with EU rules and values can be secured.
