SEEU Review vol. 6 Nr. 2 (pdf) - South East European University

communist reunification after the ColdWar " and "at the beginning of the XXIcentury, the strategy of expansiontowards the states of Western Balkansand Turkey was more rigid, conditionaland long term".Blerim Reka finds the likelihood of “threefatigues of Europe by the end of 2009:“institutional fatigue, fatigue fromexpansion and reform fatigue dedication.”He calls Enlargement of the EU "asuccess story, but still unfinished.” Theauthor expresses that "the EU-27 is notthe end of the story" and concludes that"the enlargement process is not completewithout joining Europe".The author of the book identifies sixmodels of EU expansion: conciliationexpansion (1973), post-dictatorshipexpansion (1981-1986); neutralexpansion (1995); expansion of the pastcold war (2004-2007); post-conflictexpansion (since 2000); inter-civilizationexpansion (Turkey from 1959 to 2009)and Nordic-Atlantic expansion (Icelandsince 2009).According to Blerim Reka, the success ofthe membership is “determined by fourkey factors: political will to achieve EUmembership, internal consensus, supportof the citizens and the administrativecapacity to implement this objective.”Naturally he has not been able to predictthe fate of the Western Balkans. He statesthat "the position of Western Balkans inthe process of EU enlargement remainsunclear.” Indeed, "officially, the EUinstitutions adhere to commitments madeby the Thessaloniki Summit (2003) thatthe region has a European perspectivebased on conditionality, and theindividual merits of each country.”Blerim Reka has not seen a recklessdegree of optimism regarding theWestern Balkans. Rather, it is a real trial.Western Balkan integration into the EUneeds "to relativize the imposed bordersthat brought so much human tragedy, tograsp (and) reconcile history withgeography, to close once and for (all)national open issues", taking intoconsideration that "territorial solutions tonational problems,” according to him,have not calmed the Balkans, because theinternational community's efforts patternshave been shown to be incomplete:Dayton, The Konculs, or AhtisaariAgreement.Criticism of a work cannot be other thanstatements of its value. Man is critical notonly when he has analyzed the value of awork, but even when he has discovered it.I have had the opportunity to take part indiscovering the work of Blerim Reka ingeneral, and with this book, in particular.History has adopted the principle that thevalue of a work is not measured only withthe impact that it makes upon otherworks, but also with it presence. Thisbook ranks among books that will livelong.Evaluation of a work and its research,provoke the conscience of the critic, andrequire him to evaluate objectively andrealistically, because of the traditionalallergy of the author towards the critic.Blerim Reka, with this book has noreason to show signs of allergy towardsthe criticism of his work. The critic isaware of its overall value, and has notforgotten the aphorism: the best book isnot the one that is written, but the one thatwill be written. This book promises thatBlerim Reka will write.194