Recent developments and actions in the Western Balkans, especially those by Milorad Dodik, demonstrate the need to counter authoritarian tendencies and backward-oriented policies that threaten the advances achieved in region since the end of the bloody Yugoslav Wars. Worse still, some politicians within the EU, such as Viktor Orbaán, seek to form alliances with authoritarian leaders in the region and prevent a united front by the EU. At the same time, other member states that do not support reactionary forces in the region continue to pose obstacles to the Western Balkan countries’ accession and integration process. Additionally, many citizens of the Western Balkans – especially, Kosovar citizens – face obstacles to the freedom of movement within the region and throughout the Schengen Area. Even more alarmingly, we have witnessed democratic backsliding within EU countries, such as Hungary and Poland, as well as aspiring EU members states, such as Turkey. The results of the recent elections in Serbia and Hungary clearly indicate that the era of electoral authoritarianism is on the rise in Europe.
