ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the complex relationship between formal institutions and informal practices in the context of the EU accession of Southeast European countries. It identifies tensions arising from the interaction between EU norms and informal practices. Through an analysis of judicial reforms in North Macedonia, media reforms in Serbia, and efforts to regulate the rurally based practice of home slaughter for meat, the study delineates the role of informal networks, patronage systems, and local power structures in shaping the implementation and enforcement of EU-derived rules. The findings suggest that informality operates as an important intervening variable determining the effectiveness of conditionality, which can either ease the path of compliance or undermine the implementation of EU norms.
