Garcevic Interviewed on the EU, China and the Balkans
Ambassador Vesko Garcevic, Professor of the Practice of Diplomacy and International Relations at the Frederick S.Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University, was recently interviewed for a radio segment on the new EU strategy for ‘a credible enlargement perspective for and enhanced EU engagement with the Western Balkans’ and its importance for the Balkans and Europe as well as the growing Chinese influence in Southeast Europe.
Amb. Garcevic was interviewed for a February 9, 2018 segment on Danish National Radio entitled “The EU and China Struggling for Balkans’ Favor.”
In the interview, Amb. Garcevic underlined that the EU can’t compromise its reform agenda and should insist on democratic reforms in candidate states but, in parallel, it must play a proactive role and offer a new, vivid and attainable opportunity to this part of Europe in order to repulse further Moscow’s and Beijing’s growing influence. The plan, backed by major EU states, released a few days ago can be a turning point for the future of the region. Not only is the EU a key political partner of this part of Europe; it is also the most important investor in the region with the annual total trade volume of 43 billion euros.
When it comes to China, Amb. Garcevic highlighted that Beijing is in some ways a more difficult actor to deal with than Russia. Beijing does not sell an alternative ideological or political model for the Balkans. Driven by more economic and political interests, China stands to benefit from the region’s integration into the EU. Chinese do not ask difficult questions, preach, or push for privatization and restructuring of inefficient state-owned enterprises.
Amb. Garcevic argued it gives a preference to state-led, top-down, leader-to-leader type deals that take no account of whether projects are market-driven, transparent and environmentally friendly. Stability to China also means keeping the current political elites in power as long as they can secure new state-endorsed economic projects. Beijing arranges the financing of projects, and sends its own companies and workers, keeping the participation of local companies to a minimum. Chinese loans, granted under soft and permissible conditions, have also led to an increase in the region’s debt burden.
China’s current approach is a part of a broader, well-thought-out strategy aimed at utilizing its power in Southeast Europe to influence the EU from within, according to Amb. Garcevic. In given circumstances, the EU has no other option but to reinvigorate its own model and reconfirm the EU membership perspective for the Western Balkans.
During his diplomatic career, Amb. Vesko Garcevic dealt with issues pertinent to European security and NATO for almost 14 years. In 2004, he was posted in Vienna to serve as Ambassador to Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. He had been a Montenegro’s Ambassador to NATO from 2010 until 2014 and served as a Montenegro’s National Coordinator for NATO from 2015 until he joined the faculty at the Pardee School.