Evolving or revolving: Institutional reforms and democratic legitimacy in Kosovo, Albania, and Montenegro

Although the Western Balkan countries are moving towards membership in the European Union – and along the process they have undergone major reforms – the democratic standards in these countries are proving to have declined in the past few years. With the growing reform criteria packages that are part of the EU integration process – which aims to accelerate the development of the region as well as deepen the formal relations with the EU, the desired democratization and political transformation of the region’s societies still has a long way to go.

In such circumstances, this research paper aims to offer a comprehensive policy review of the already established reforms and examine the extent of the intended democratic transformation of the said reforms in Kosovo, Montenegro and Albania. The main goal of this research paper is to provide solutions for two key issues: (a) how to combat the shortcoming of reforms and identify potential threats to democracy, and (b) recommend policy solutions at the sectoral level that help boost the reform implementation process