Between the past and the future: unfinished business in the EU and the Balkans

On 25 June the EU gave Montenegro the green light to start accession negotiations, a few months after granting Serbia candidate status and a year before Croatia joins the EU. In this Commentary assessing the status of the EU’s enlargement process, Rosa Balfour argues that these are all positive signs that the commitments made towards the Balkans are to be maintained. But the road ahead is marred with trouble, due to unfinished business in the EU and in the Balkans. On the EU side the enlargement process is becoming increasingly nationalised; the Balkan countries are still to do away with ghosts of past wars and divisions.