...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

9 November 2009 - Working Paper Series No 3.2009

CEIS Working Paper Series no. 03.2009, "Rethinking the process of EU integration in the Balkans" - written by Christophe Solioz - reviews the relations between the European Union and the “Yugoslav space” since the mid 1960s, focusing on the main trends and political processes, highlighting their ups and downs, and looking for some lessons (not) learnt. It calls for a renewed commitment by the EU to enlargement into the Western Balkans and a corresponding commitment by the countries of the region to continue political, social and economic reform. The best venue for such a reciprocal commitment would be an international conference on the model of the Thessaloniki summit.

.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

12 October 2009 - Working Paper Series No 2.2009

CEIS Working Paper Series no. 02.2009, “The European Union in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Moving to A 'Feasibility' Model of Post-Conflict Stabilisation” - written by Rory Domm - outlines international policy towards Bosnia and Herzegovina over recent years, and then draws a comparison with wider lessons for post-conflict stabilisation emerging from cross-national empirical research. How can we interpret any substantive differences between practitioners and academics? The historical record shows that practitioners, typically diplomats, have tended to view Bosnia as a political problem requiring a political solution. However, the empirical evidence does not support any link between the level of democratic governance and the likelihood of reversion to conflict; on the other hand, a strong link is visible between both economic growth and international peacekeeping and the risk of instability.

..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

21 January 2009 - Working Paper Series No 1.2009

CEIS Working Paper Series no. 01.2009, “What Future for the Past? Moving On Requires Looking Back” - written by Wolfgang Petritsch. As the physical infrastructure is now more or less rebuilt throughout the Balkans, questions, however, remain: Has trust and reconciliation between the ethnic communities been re-established, has the search for truth become part of the national agenda, have the root-causes of the conflict been addressed by the political elites and by civil society? All in all, the record of dealing with the past is not encouraging at all. Of course, rebuilding trust and finding a way to deal with the now disjointed narratives in a constructive way needs effort and even more time. (...) The reasons, why this process has not yet begun in the Balkans are quite obvious. Unresolved status issues, belated state building, pervasive political instrumentalisation of the past, political elites exclusively engaged in the expansion of their power-base; an enduring transformation-crisis and a frustrated search for identity lie at the center of the slow process. This is the point where democratic and accountable politics is back in the game, and the reason why a novel form of confronting the past at a distinctly political level - a sort of re-politisation of the memory - is needed.

..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

1 September 2007 - Working Paper Series No 6.2007

CEIS Working Paper Series no. 06.2007, “Moving the Balkans beyond the EU Blues: Rethinking Southeastern Europe through a pan-European Perspective”, written by Christophe Solioz, firstly, briefly reviews the current situation in SEE; secondly, outlines a pan-European perspective; and, thirdly, briefly focuses on the fate of regional initiatives. This Working Paper was written within the framework of a study the CEIS produced for UNECE.

..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

24 August 2007 - Working Paper Series No 5.2007

CEIS Working Paper Series no. 05.2007, “Euroskepticism: European Integration through the protection of human rights, peoples and minority rights”, by Peter Neussl, argues that we find ourselves presently at a crossroads. The European integration process could proceed and reach a constitutional level that includes a large number of state-building elements; or Euroskepticism could win and stop such integration, at least for some of the candidate and potential candidate countries. Neussl suggests that the strengthening of concepts that represent common European values may help citizens find a European identity and overcome Euroskepticism. These concepts include the protection of human rights within the EU, the concept of European citizenship, and fostering a culture of respect for minority and peoples' rights.

30 July 2007 - Working Paper Series No 4.2007

While Pristina clings to its commitment to the unconditional independence of Kosovo, Belgrade continues to consider the province an integral part of Serbia. CEIS Working Paper Series no. 04.2007, “Kosovo 2007: Quadratur des Kreises, die gezogen werden muss”, by Vedran Dzihic, reviews this situation and attempts to look beyond the question of status.

This Working Paper was followed by various articles written by Vedran Dzihic for the Austrian press, which are available at <http://www.ceis-eu.org/publications/articles/articles.htm>

9 May 2007 - Working Paper Series No 3.2007

CEIS Working Paper Series no. 03.2007, “Next Steps for the OHR: Balancing Europeanization with Conflict Resolution” - written by Rory Domm - aims to demonstrate that without a political settlement of conflicting notions about the power and territorial integrity of the Bosnian state, the reforms championed by the international community constantly run the risk of being instrumentalized by nationalist political forces, slowing down Bosnia's progress towards EU membership. Thus, the solution requires a shift in the international community's behaviour towards support for constitutional reform: notably, that the OHR's mandate should be extended until an agreement is reached.

14 March 2007 - Working Paper Series No 2.2007

In the second CEIS Working Paper in 2007 - “Politics from Below and 'Civil' Depolitization: Civil Political Participation in Croatia” - Srdan Dvornik, a prominent Zagreb sociologist, examines the conditions, modes and scope of civic activism in post-independence Croatia. The paper assesses the extent to which active political participation has contributed to a more vibrant democracy in the country and stronger legally guaranteed freedoms. The analysis rests on the recognition that knowledge mainly originates from a participatory observation (or better still, from an observing participation), and on the ambition to develop a civic, participatory impact from below, to the benefit of democracy, freedom and social solidarity.

22 February 2007 - Working Paper Series No 1.2007

CEIS Working Paper Series no. 01.2007, “Dilemmata im Prozess der 'Europäisierung' Bosniens” - written by Vedran Dzihic - aims to demonstrate the use and misuse of 'Europe' in political discourse and to show how Bosnia's Europeanisation is being influenced by the manipulations of the term and the political symbol of 'Europe.' In particular, an emphasis is placed on the use of 'Europe' to consolidate and deepen the political power of distinct elites and as means to strengthen ethno-nationalistic politics.

30 July 2006 - Working Paper Series No 1.2006

CEIS working paper series no.01.2006 - written by Christophe Solioz - focuses on the Bosnian constitutional debate and the role of the Concil of Europe. The international community's strategy for post-war conflict management in the Balkans had two main dimensions: transitional administration and state-building. The state-building component has included a focus on constitutional arrangements that has often been overlooked in the relevant discussion. This paper aims to correct that situation by drawing attention to the implications that Bosnia and Herzegovina's membership in the Council of Europe has had; it specifically reviews the involvement of the European Commission for Democracy through Law (Venice Commission) in Bosnia's constitutional debate.