Even though the Balkans do not constitute anymore the “powder key of Europe”, it is clear that they have not yet been evolved to be an example of stability, development and regional cooperation.

Military conflicts have been terminated several years now, but on the other hand potential flashpoints remain active, as well as bilateral tensions between countries of the region, on issues such as Kosovo, the future of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Greece-FYROM dispute concerning the name issue. It is certainly important to mention the accession to the European Union and NATO of Bulgaria and Romania, along with the accession of Albania and Croatia to the North Atlantic Alliance. Croatia’s incorporation into the European Union will soon be achieved, while the integration process of the western Balkans will certainly be longer, due to regional problems, along with the EU’s enlargement fatigue. There are more elements that compose the Balkan puzzle, such as, for example minority rights, organized crime, corruption, in addition to the democratisation process.
In this volume distinguished experts (Othon Anastasakis, Panagiotis Andresakis, Emilios Giatzidis, Ioannis Grigoriadis, Dimitris Keridis, Manos Karagianis, Kyriakos Kentrotis, Charalampos Kontonis, Marilena Koppa, Nicolaos Tzifakis, Efstathios Fakiolas) examine the changes that have occured in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria, Kosovo, Montenegro, FYROM, Romania and Serbia, as well as functional issues such as energy, transportation , organized crime, the European Union’s role regarding the democratization of the Balkans, and the regional role of Russia.
Title From the Balkans to Southeastern Europe: challenges and prospects in the 21st century
Author Ioannis Armakolas, Thanos Dokos  (eds.)
Edition Sideris, 2010