Good Neighbourly Relations: Strategic Actors in North Macedonia and Member State-Driven Conditions

Vasileska, Larisa (2026) Good Neighbourly Relations: Strategic Actors in North Macedonia and Member State-Driven Conditions. In: New Dynamics of Contestation in EU-Western Balkan Relations Adapting to Protracted Accession amid Geopolitical Rivalries. Palgrave Studies in European Union Politics . Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 73-100. ISBN 978-3-032-13247-5

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Abstract

North Macedonia has become emblematic of how enlargement can be derailed when member states weaponise identity. Greek and Bulgarian blockades over the country's name and history turned 'good neighbourly relations' from a principle of regional cooperation into an instrument of veto power. In this politicised space, domestic actors such as VMRO-DPMNE mobilise negative partisanship, branding concessions as national betrayal and casting themselves as guardians of identity. Turbulent reform cycles, institutional disruptions and opportunistic deal-making show how contested norms become strategic resources. North Macedonia exposes what happens when EU conditionality loses credibility: polarisation deepens, identity politics harden, and alliances between illiberal actors gain momentum within and beyond the country.

Item Type:	Book Section
Subjects:	Scientific Fields (Frascati) > Social Sciences > Law Scientific Fields (Frascati) > Social Sciences > Political science
Divisions:	Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality
Depositing User:	Prof. d-r Larisa Vasileska
Date Deposited:	26 Jun 2026 13:44
Last Modified:	26 Jun 2026 13:44
URI:	https://eprints.uklo.edu.mk/id/eprint/11619

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