Western Balkans' Strategic Importance for EU's Foreign Policy in the context of the region's Great Power Competition

This paper examines how power balances in the Western Balkans are shifting once again - due to the short-term ‘vacuum of power’ present in the region - considering that in the past, no major power had sole control over the countries from this particular area. As the Balkan Peninsula constitutes an example of regional great power competition, it should be mentioned that the European Union (EU) has recently made tremendous progress in overseeing this fragile region. Nonetheless, before presenting the accomplishments reached in terms of geopolitical influence, this thesis intends to find the external factors that determined the EU to act. By employing the proposed methodological and theoretical framework, this qualitative study analyses the foreign policies and strategies of each major power towards the Balkan states. The dissertation is divided into three chapters: the first chapter introduces the theoretical foundations of the paper and the research method chosen. The second section emphasizes the importance of the Western Balkans, the evolution of the relations and the dynamics emerged between former Yugoslavian states and the European Union. Finally, the third chapter mainly focuses on analysing the influence of the external actors in Western Balkans by presenting their investments, projects and engagement in the region.