Publication

This paper examines how the EU can bring Western Balkan states closer to EU standards in justice and home affairs. It presents the EU's pre-accession strategy as one of the main mechanisms to achieve this goal. The author explains that the EU uses its visa regime for the region as an incentive for strengthening reform efforts. He concludes that the regime functions as an obstacle in the transformation toward democracy and European-oriented societies, by confining the movement of persons.