From Control to Protean Power: The EU’s Toolbox for Bolstering Socio-Economic Resilience in Its Candidate Countries

This article examines the European Union’s policy response deployed to bolster socio-economic resilience in its candidate and potential candidate countries of the Western Balkans and the Eastern Neighbourhood. The methodology of the analysis builds on Katzenstein and Seybert’s conceptualization of decision-making processes under conditions of uncertainty and incalculable risk. Following this approach, the paper first assesses the candidate countries’ socio-economic resilience through empirical evidence and then classifies the EU’s instruments through the lens of control and protean power. Findings demonstrate that the EU’s resilience-building capacity in candidate countries depends on the effective combination of control, protean- and emerging composite power responses; none being sufficient on its own. This perspective illustrates the EU’s capacity for adaptation in the face of both predictable risks and unpredictable uncertainties, providing a nuanced understanding of its role in shaping socio-economic resilience through the enlargement process.