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The EU enlargement process to the Western Balkans will not deliver results if the problem of the captured countries in the region is not solved first, according to a study by the Dutch Klingendil Institute.
A report broadcast by EurActiv Serbia claims that the growing role of actors such as China in the Western Balkans could be an argument to speed up EU accession negotiations.
However, there will be no reason for optimism about the region’s rapid integration into the EU if the problem of the captured state is not solved first, according to the study “Destructive Effects of State Capture in the Western Balkans. EU Enlargement Undermined “.
The term captive state refers to the process in which political actors infiltrate state structures with the help of clientelist networks and use those state structures as a cloak to conceal corrupt practices.
How it works in practice, the study author, an associate researcher at the Martin Lemstra Klingendil Institute, showed the example of Serbia, which appears to have seen a decline in the rule of law and democracy since 2012, culminating in the transition from democratic regimes to hybrid regimes in the Freedom report. home for 2020.
With the help of mechanisms to capture the state, the ruling Serbian Progressive Party, led by Aleksandar Vucic, has expanded its power to all aspects of society and politics, according to the study.
As added, the takeover of the state in Serbia has its roots in the government of Slobodan Milosevic, when the current president Vucic was Minister of Information.
Since it came to power in 2012, the SNS has initiated the politicization of public management, where loyalty to the ruling party is rewarded with a job, it is claimed.
Appointments based on loyalty, and not just merit, are a powerful way to connect supporters, who secure votes for your party.
“The importance of being a member of the ruling SNS as a form of work and opportunities is demonstrated through the size of the party,” says the researcher from the Dutch institute.
The SNS party with the largest membership in Europe
SNS’s membership has grown to 730,000, making it the largest party in Europe. For the sake of comparison, the German CDU has “only” 407,000 members, although Germany is 11 times the size of Serbia.
Placing supporters in top positions in state administration means another benefit for political elites: It provides control over a key phase of law enforcement.
“In Serbia, the legal framework for the rule of law and freedom of the media often exists only on paper, and in practice it is applied selectively, in favor of the ruling party,” the institute’s report said. Dutch.
There is also an example of an investigation into money laundering that the Serbian authorities recently initiated into non-governmental organizations, while there were no such investigations among members of the ruling party, who allegedly participated in such activities.
Control over the public administration, including the judiciary, helps the government “target” critics while protecting supporters, he writes.
Public resources are used to control the media, allowing the Serbian government to remain in charge of the narrative that the media gives about the Serbian government and the EU, according to the report, adding that the public service, as dependent on state funding reports biased.
There are also examples of attacks on independent journalists who have not been sanctioned, leading to self-censorship. According to the World Press Freedom Index, Serbia is ranked 93rd and the situation in the country is considered worrying.
In addition to declining media freedom and biased information in Serbia, the Klingendil Institute report also notes that state control prevents key messages about the government from reaching the public.
The overlapping of party structures with state structures results in attacks on internal instruments to verify the veracity of information in favor of the ruling SNS. This has also led to the strengthening of the executive branch at the expense of parliament and the judiciary, whose independence is increasingly questioned.
Furthermore, the consequence of capturing the state can turn into capturing opportunities, when a corrupt government monitors who gets economic opportunities and who doesn’t. For this reason, the young and the talented often prefer to leave the country, resulting in a “brain drain”, one of the main challenges in the Western Balkans.
The example of Serbia, Lemstra writes, shows how the captured state reduces the political participation of citizens and creates policies that are not based on increasing the welfare of society and protecting political or civil liberties, but on clientelist relationships.
A study by a Dutch think tank showed that a captured state is a key obstacle in the EU’s path: the political elite is not interested in fully and fairly implementing the EU acquis, as this could end in their departure from power or in jail.
“A captive state impedes the proper functioning of a liberal democracy based on the rule of law. Instead, it promotes a political system in which the state and institutions are used to obtain the benefits of those in power,” he said .
He added that reducing the problem of the captured state should be a priority for those EU members, politicians and actors who want to see the Western Balkans and the EU based on liberal democracy and the rule of law.
Resolving that problem is believed to require a continuous and long-term approach, as well as recognition that it is not just a technical issue, but a problem that is inadvertently supported by EU funds and legitimized by EU politicians.
The main enemies of the captured state are responsibility and transparency, it is also stated and added that the EU should direct its support in that direction.
The EU already has initiatives to support civil society in the Western Balkans, but it must significantly increase that support if it wants to show that it is serious about fighting the captured state.
“Rather than relying on political elites who oppose the implementation of EU reforms out of self-interest, the Union should focus more on strengthening pro-democracy forces in the Western Balkans,” the study said.
Furthermore, it is said, good reports are needed, such as the one written by Reinhard Pribe on North Macedonia, which indicates the extent of the abuse of power in the countries of the region.
“The whole process of EU enlargement will benefit if EU membership is not seen as progress towards the goal: EU membership, but as an opportunity for countries to transform and prepare for fruitful cooperation continue with the EU, “Lemstra said.
Without first solving the problem of the captured state, the EU enlargement process will not deliver results or lead to the transformation of society in the Western Balkans, the study concludes.
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