ANALYSIS THE EUROPEAN POLITICAL COMMUNITY AND THE WESTERN BALKANS: STRATEGIC THINKING OR MISLEADING HOPE? THE EUROPEAN POLITICAL COMMUNITY AND THE WESTERN BALKANS Strategic thinking or misleading hope? The launch of the European Political Community(EPC) has taken the Western Balkans aback. Yet the need for political engagement on strategic issues that are not limited to EU accession is more pressing than ever. Overly marketed, the EPC risks propagating delusive expectations among would-be Member states. Before the next meeting takes place in Chisinau, the Western Balkans need to gain clarity on the EPC's purpose, design and functioning, as well as the role the EU is to play therein. Florent Marciacq December, 2022 Rather than turning into one more big forum dedicated to intergovernmental cooperation, the EPC could become a political framework in which alliances are being forged across continental Europe by progressive governments seeking to bolster European integration. Their engagement in policy fields that are neglected by the EU, such as European civic education and youth mobility, could make a difference. 1