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Bojana Zorić and Iliriana Gjoni's Analysis, 'Defence readiness beyond the EU: How enlargement partners underpin European security', was featured in EUpravo zato (in Serbian). The article delves into the authors' argument that the Western Balkans, as a region, retain legacy security capacity that can can allow them to play a decisive role in strengthening Europe's security and supporting its rearmament effort.
In an interview with the New Union Post, Bojana argued that, "as we move forward, we should think of defence as a core component of the EU enlargement process. We need to treat these two processes as truly one."
According to the authors, the fact that the Western Balkans are situated in a "highly valuable geographical area" is one of the strong arguments for including the region in the EU's defence architecture. Even though its legacy of military industry is now outdated, "it could become an asset with just a modest investment," remarked Bojana.
She added that there are entry points where the region could provide value, particularly in areas where Europe currently lacks reserves, namely "ammunition production and propellants, but also maintenance capacity and industrial infrastructure."
The authors' Analysis was also cited in a Euractiv article examining how the rearmament of Western Balkan countries might risk reigniting old tensions across the region. "Serbia views any move by other countries in the region to bolster their militaries as negative," explained Bojana.