International Conference: Current Security Challenges for the Western Balkan Region Addressed by Means of Joint Responsibility and Cooperation DISCUSSIONS Odeta Barbullushi In her discussion, Barbullushi talked about the process of EU integration and public perceptions in Albania. After 1997, Albania focused more on regional issues, trying to set an example of an example for Euro-Atlantic integration and stabilization. In the public discourse, the EU integration is commensurate with stabilization and economic development. However, the elites in Albania have adopted EU discourse without really embracing EU rules and practices. Unless rule of law is enforced unselectively and is accompanied by local development initiatives, the integration process is not viewed with sympathy and the problem is that there is no consensus of what rule of law is-the concept as such, because of inconsistent application is viewed with mistrust. If this is combined with economic crisis, the problem becomes even bigger. There is no clear linkage between law enforcement and EU conditionality. This has been used for political agendas of political parties. EU is seen as external source of legitimacy for elites. Regional cooperation, is one of the main priorities of Albanian government. Since 2013, this government has pursued partnership with Turkey, Kosovo as well as one visit to Serbia. There is a discourse that EU integration is the opposite of nationalism and radicalism. In fact, none of these options are affordable scenarios. Nationalism trajectory in Albania is very specic and it does not leave much space for ethnic politics. Nationalist card was not paid off to those party which tried to use it. Radicalization of religion can be observed in small clusters, mainly manifesting in social media. It mainly comes from young people from unprivileged background for whom EU discourse is very distant. In conclusion, Barbullushi does not expect any protest to delay of EU integration. However, there is higher level of apathy and alienation. 103 Arben Qirezi Qirezi focused his discussion on the functionality of post-conict, internationally administered countries of the Western Balkans, that is BIH and Kosovo. He argued that there are three principles in which international intervention in Kosovo and in Bosnia and Herzegovina relied its efforts: rst, dialogue and peace between ethnic communities; second, the build-up of multi-party system; and third, rule of law and free market economy. These three principles were thought to stabilize these countries in their path to European integration. However, there was a contradiction between the proclaimed aims and practices of international interveners. As Mesquita and Downs argue, international interveners, rarely, if ever, are even interested to help the growth of democracy within their client countries. Indeed, the external interveners view these places as clients, rather than as places where democratic development is sought. Both cases of BiH and Kosovo conrm this proposition. The Dayton Peace Accords(DPA) ended the secessionist war of Serbs and Croats from Bosnia and Herzegovina with the help of their kin states.