CFSP and EU Enlargement towards the Western Balkans: Internal Cohesion, State Capacity, and Geopolitical Competition

This study examines the effectiveness and limitations of the European Union’s Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) and enlargement policy towards the Western Balkans. Kosovo is analysed as a theoretically and empirically significant case because it captures central challenges of EU external action, including limited unity among member states, domestic institutional reform needs, and geopolitical competition with external actors. The article assesses how these factors shape the EU’s diplomatic effectiveness in Kosovo through the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue and the credibility of the enlargement perspective, understood as the extent to which membership is perceived as realistic and politically credible. Methodologically, the study draws on document analysis, targeted literature, and seven semi-structured interviews. The findings show that EU effectiveness depends on the interaction between the Union’s internal coherence, state capacities, and external influence, rather than on any single policy instrument alone, especially in sensitive regional settings marked by unresolved bilateral disputes.