European Unions Western Balkans Policy Adjustments and Strategic Metaphors in the Context of Geopolitical Crisis

The European Union has been in a period of enlargement fatigue for a long time since its explosive eastward enlargement, with a corresponding deceleration in its enlargement policy for the Western Balkans. But since 2018, and especially after the Ukrainian crisis in 2022, the European Union has begun to try to adjust its policies in the Western Balkans and try to change the deceleration of its enlargement. On the basis of constructivism theory, this paper analyses the reasons for the adjustments mainly using comparative and textual analysis. On the one hand, the European Union constructs its own perceptions on the basis of environmental feedback. On the other hand, the European Union has a normative basis for its next expansion, and the Western Balkans have also developed a certain degree of normative internalization through a number of subregional cooperation mechanisms. The European Union recognized the process of gradual convergence between the two sides, which promoted policy adjustments. The current strategic logic of the European Union presents a predominantly security logic, with a prominent geopolitical discourse. There are still challenges in the accession process of the Western Balkans, and the European Union still needs to further explore the optimal path for the development of relations between the two sides.