"Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), Croatia, former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (fYRoM), Montenegro, Kosovo and Serbia are all western Balkan countries that have been given the prospect of EU membership. In June 2000, the European Council decided that all Stabilisation and Association countries are ‘potential candidates', including BiH and Kosovo which have not currently applied for membership. Given the unstable environment that characterises the western Balkans, the EU is eager to create an area where peace, stability, prosperity and freedom can thrive. However, many challenges persist. This two-part paper uses, in the first half, ‘Europeanisation' as a methodology tool in order to reach some conclusions on whether this model can explain the pre-accession process for applicant countries; and, in the second, a case study, drawing a draft profile of western Balkan countries in order to draw possible conclusions as to whether the carrot of enlargement is sufficient to guide potential candidates in the process of Europeanisation "

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