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Why China and Russia are Vying for Influence Over the Balkans by Scott B. MacDonald 2 minutes _____ The Balkans will remain a major geopolitical frontier, considering the region's economic needs. The overlapping interests of Europe, Russia, China, and Turkey, which has its own links to local Muslim communities, will also ensure the region stays relevant. For Europe to maintain a dominant role it needs to be active in the game, something it has done through various financial institutions, such as the European Investment Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Bulgaria, Romania and Greece are already EU members, but the Western Balkans remain apart and open the economic statecraft of China and Russia. This makes it all the more important that the EU play its economic statecraft well. Also, the EU must continue to be supportive of deepening democracy and civic society. Along these lines, the January 2019 Greek vote was a victory, but now comes the hard part, getting North Macedonia (and other parts of the Western Balkans) up to the standards that Europe expects for a closer embrace, which means tackling government efficiency, transparency, corruption as well as improving democratic practices. Scott B. MacDonald is chief economist for Smith's Research and Gradings. Image: Reuters -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "SERBIAN NEWS NETWORK" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/senet. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
