Diritto Pubblico Comparato ed Europeo

Sommario

1. Il ruolo dello Stato … e dell’integrazione europea nell’Europa sudorientale. – 2. Costituzioni tra sovranità statale e condizionalità.

Abstract

In the framework of the political and economic transition of Western Balkans, States’ sovereignty is under a double pressure: on the one hand, it is deeply affected by the stable influence of supranational entities (that is essentially the European Union); on the other hand, it is concerned by the ongoing reinforcement of sub-State entities (local autonomies). Nevertheless, the full exercise of State’s sovereignty remains fundamental in order to achieve efficient democratic governments based on the rule of law and good governance principles. Currently, the Western Balkans States have to cope with the full implementation of legal reforms, which – even though formally adopted – are still challenged by lasting political, economic and social difficulties. The full implementation of these reforms – and consequently the completion of the transition – is fundamental also in order to further strengthen the relationships between the Western Balkans and the EU, in view of a real perspective of future membership. This perspective – subjected to the full respect of the principle of democratic conditionality – is the main incentive to complete the transition process. This is why the role of the State (full and domestic adherence and implementation) and the external influence of the EU (as a catalyst for change) are the two central factors by which the transition process should be analyzed. The contributions published in this Section offer an interdisciplinary analysis of the Western Balkans transition process focusing on the necessary research in achieving an equilibrium between (domestic) sovereignty and (external) conditionalities.