Europe’s hidden arsenal: Why the Western Balkans matter more than we think

EURACTIV published an article entitled “Europe’s hidden arsenal: Why the Western Balkans matter more than we think”, authored by Dr Ioannis Armakolas (Head of the South-East Europe Programme – ELIAMEP and Director of the initiative think nea – New Narratives of EU Integration) and Dr Ana Krstinovska (Research Fellow, South-East Europe Programme – ELIAMEP and Senior Researcher on the initiative think nea – New Narratives of EU Integration). The piece was produced in the framework of the initiative think nea – New Narratives of EU Integration supported by the Open Society Foundations – Western Balkans.

Drawing on the initiative’s recent report “Europe’s Overlooked Allies: Why the Western Balkans Matter for EU Defence Readiness”, authored by Dr Ana Krstinvoska and Dr Alessandro Marrone, the article highlights the region’s critical contributions to European security, from North Macedonia’s substantial donations to Ukraine and Albania and Montenegro’s provision of military and humanitarian aid, to Serbia’s role in enabling large-scale ammunition transfers. It further underscores the importance of the Western Balkans’ defence industries and their ability to produce vital equipment and ammunition at a scale and speed which Europe currently struggles to match

The authors argue that the EU can no longer afford to overlook the region. Enlargement is no longer a question of political benevolence, but of strategic necessity. The Western Balkans are already acting like allies, now Europe must act accordingly.

You can read the article on EURACTIV here.