New regional trade architecture in the emerging Balkans: Challenges and perspectives beyond conflicts

This chapter has an ambition to bring more light to the background of the current position of trade architecture in the emerging Balkans, and recent initiatives in trade partner’s countries through the Berlin Process that will be increasingly challenged. The emerging Balkans had made several attempts at economic integration within the region. Although export in absolute terms has grown in all countries, it was driven by the rise of exports to the EU market rather than from intraregional trade.
Also, our comparative analysis indicates that the emerging Balkans still has a long way to go to reach full trade integration or to boost regional trade integration. The region’s intraregional trade remains very low and very disappointing throughout the last decade while trade among countries has a little significant impact on regional economies. The region remains ineffective and economically fragmented, largely due to political tensions between Serbia and its neighboring countries. Unfortunately, politics have played a decisive role in this disappointing record of accomplishments.
Enhancing economic cooperation within the emerging Balkans in the context of the Berlin Process is one of the last EU initiative. Although it is still too early to tell how successful the EU initiative will be, the EU financial and political support seems to be stronger than it was ever before.