Dženita Šiljak, researcher from the Social Sciences Research Center, presented research at the Eight Annual Tartu Conference On East European And Eurasian Studies on topic: Area Studies in Crisis? In Search of New Approaches in East European and Eurasian Studies, from 20-21 June 2024, in Tartu, Estonia.
The Tartu Conference is a venue for academic discussion of the fundamental cultural, social, economic and political trends affecting all aspects of life in Eastern Europe and Eurasia. Organized by the Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies and the Centre for Eurasian and Russian Studies (CEURUS) at the University of Tartu, this forum brings together scholars from across multiple disciplines, from the region and beyond.
As the European Union recommits to its enlargement strategy towards both Eastern Europe and the Western Balkans, it is imperative to re-examine the Union’s much-vaunted soft power. This form of power, characterized by the EU's ability to attract others and inspire them to emulate its example, has long been considered a significant asset, particularly in its relations with neighboring regions and potential candidate countries.
Despite the EU's positive image in public opinion across all candidate countries, the record of converting this latent soft power into tangible outcomes has been inconsistent. In her paper, Dženita Šiljak, along with Kristian L. Nielsen, examines two critical examples where the EU's soft power strategy has faced significant challenges and pushbacks.
They compare the situations in Eastern Europe and the Western Balkans, highlighting the violent resistance from Russia in the former and the issue of state capture in the latter. In Eastern Europe, the EU's soft power has been met with direct and indirect opposition from Russia, particularly in countries like Georgia, Ukraine, Moldova, and Belarus. Despite these challenges, the EU's response has often been passive. In the Western Balkans, external actors counter Europeanization efforts, but the most significant hurdle remains state capture, with entrenched political elites fundamentally uninterested in the EU's offerings.
In her analysis, Šiljak points out that the EU has not been equipped with sufficient incentives or punitive measures to effectively support its soft power strategy. Additionally, she identifies institutional problems and shortcomings within the EU that further exacerbate these challenges. If these issues remain unaddressed, they will continue to hinder the enlargement process, jeopardizing the EU's self-imposed deadline of 2030.
The abstract can be found here.