RELATIONS BETWEEN THE EUROPEAN UNION AND THE ORGANIZATION "OPEN BALKANS"

Abstract

The paper examines the main aspects of international relations formation in Eastern Europe, focusing on the ways of developing cooperation between Balkan countries and the European Union. The Balkan countries are currently a promising direction for the development and expansion of the European Union's cooperation in the eastern territories. In addition to purely economic motives, which are declared by European leaders as the main ones, their initiative also aims at internal and external political goals. The European Union's advance towards the East is not only motivated by the desire to expand economic ties with the Balkan countries but also by the aim to solve political problems. The authors conclude that the more intense the cooperation within the "Open Balkans" framework and the more active the leaders of the participating countries are, the more economic and political obstacles arise within these countries. This result is due to political instability and strong population stratification in the region's countries. Therefore, the European Union has introduced the "Open Balkans" program as the main direction for the development of European Union relations with the Balkan countries, which is the basis for establishing economic and political ties. The article's goal is to determine the prospects for the development of cooperation between the member countries of the "Open Balkans" organization and the European Union. This study highlights key aspects of the economic, political, and social status of the Balkan countries that affect the parameters and opportunities for building effective cooperation between the countries of the "Open Balkans" and the European Union. The criteria for identifying the positive and negative consequences of deepening relations between the Balkan countries that are part of the "Open Balkans" organization and the European Union are indicated. The article also outlines possible prospects for further deepening cooperation.