An Assessment of the European Union's Impact On Resolution of the Kosovo Impasse

Abstract

The Kosovo War of 1998-1999 while being the final nail in the coffin of Yugoslavia became the harbinger of an active and involved European Union (EU) foreign policy in the Western Balkans. The Union started the biggest and most expensive mission beyond its own borders in Kosovo which acquired a much more expansive character in December 2008 following the United Nations' transfer of responsibilities in the areas of police, customs and the judiciary. This article examines the political, legal/security and financial instruments used by the EU to not only strengthen the state capacity in Kosovo but also to end the disagreement between Serbia and Kosovo which still has the potential to explode and sweep the Western Balkans into another cycle of conflict, instability and migration.