ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with the evolution of the migration phenomenon in the Western Balkan countries, as well as with the challenges that the countries of the region had to face to build a “functional” migration governance. As of today, the Western Balkan States represent a unique mix of countries of emigration, transit and, ultimately, final destination for migrants and refugees. At the same time, given the strategic importance of the Region for the European Union (EU) (also from the perspective of migration governance), over the past few decades, European institutions have systematically externalised several aspects of migration governance to the region through various mechanisms. In fact, the cooperation between the EU and the Western Balkan countries in the field has assumed quite original dimension – the character of a real “open-air laboratory”, albeit, strangely, somewhat neglected by the doctrine – as it was managed not only with the policies and tools of “classical” external migration governance, but also of the EU enlargement process as well as with direct EU involvement in migration management. As of today, the above process has yielded mixed results: while it has achieved relevant successes in some fields, it has also faced numerous challenges in ensuring the sustainability of reforms.
