Proceedings Book of The 2nd International Conference on European Studies

Abstract

Since the fall of the Berlin Wall all the Balkan countries have turned their direction toward the EU and NATO. During these two decades there have occurred very drastic changes in this region. Yugoslavia has been dissolved giving birth to eight different countries, for some of which the chirurgical “intervention” has been needed. Albania the country enclosed in the iron cage for five decades has reached a previously unbelievable place in the international arena with its NATO membership in April 2009. Romania and Bulgaria within one and half decades of the fall of the Communism in Eastern Europe, realized their NATO and EU membership dreams. Turkey, the biggest country within the region and a senior NATO member, has long been seeking EU membership gates by undertaking reforms. Greece, as the oldest EU member in the region, has played a very decisive role in the integration process of the region. Balkan nationalism and intrastate conflicts which have been always present in this region, have slowed down the process of integration. Corruption and governance deficits, although in decrease, have been other factors hindering the way to EU membership. In these developments Epoka University, in cooperation with Istanbul University, organized the Second International Conference on European Studies to assist the continuing processes towards integration and to bring solutions or suggestions to several problematic issues facing the Balkan countries. It is my hope that the articles in the ICES`09 Proceedings will help further this goal.