International Conference: Current Security Challenges for the Western Balkan Region Addressed by Means of Joint Responsibility and Cooperation Council declared,“the future of the Balkans is This time, however, is different. As the result of within the European Union”. The business as the rising corruption within the EU and the newly usual scenarios will rather be supplemented emerging perceived security threats from with some major short-term political initiatives Russia, it would seem that this type of simulated in the region(for example, the current success is closed for the remaining Western German/British proposal for Bosnia; German Balkan countries. The new thinking seems to be support for both bilateral and multilateral that the remaining Western Balkans countries meetings of the Western Balkan leaders, and so should all be straight A students before joining on). These initiatives, as I already mentioned, the EU ranks. By making those countries go are emerging when the Western Balkans are though all the hoops and loops the very political under severe economic strain. In addition, they decision is being handed to the European are competing with the equally increasing bureaucrats to decide if the“students” are ready Turkish and Russian economic and political or not, and thus it can be indenitely postponed inuences in the region. The extent of this for the next“exam” period. I am afraid that this competition is still hard to predict, but the so­kind of approach will make those countries called Greek Scenario(that is, total economic weaker rather than stronger, and this is the meltdown) in one or two Western Balkan states paradox and the current dilemma of the Western 97 will seriously delegitimize the European project in the Western Balkans. The re-emergence of Balkans' European integration. The very approach to make Western Balkan states fully the security concerns in Europe may have one, ready for the EU membership can ultimately albeit very important, unintended consequence. undermine their chances to become strong Both, economic and social uncertainties, in liberal democratic states for they cannot on their combination with the unresolved territorial own resolve the conict between nation building disputes, have great potential to alienate some and democratization. In the worst-case Western Balkan countries from the EU. In his scenario, the rhetoric of reforms will be replaced opinion piece on EU enlargement that was with the reality of populist nationalism, as the written for a Serbian weekly Vreme(November only remaining legitimizing principle to stay on 2014), Dejan Jovic has rightly observed that power once economic and political reforms fail. accession to the EU is ultimately a political This does not necessarily mean the emergence decision. Once it is made, it really doesn't matter of new hot conicts, but freezing of the if a candidate state is fully ready to join the club unresolved territorial disputes, full entrenchment or not. After all, nobody can seriously claim that of an illiberal style of democracy and eventual Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary or Croatia fullled positioning of the Western Balkan states(or, all the necessary requirements when they were perhaps some of them) on the wrong side of the accepted into the EU. In other words, not only European Union's border. If this scenario that those countries simulated the success of prevails, then the role of the EU will be more the needed reforms to be accepted in the ranks evaluated though the security lenses as to how of the EU, but also the EU pretended that these to prevent and/or contain the Western Balkan countries were ready. uncertainties rather than from the perspective of integrating and reforming the region's contested