EU-related conspiracy theories in the Western Balkans

Abstract

The political entity ‘Western Balkans’ is often portrayed as in a perpetual struggle to ‘catch up’ with the rest of Europe. Defining the Western Balkans (WB) vis-à-vis the European Union (EU) has produced a variety of identity narratives and attitudes toward the EU in WB countries, some heavily charged with conspiratorial depictions of political events and actors. This wide palette of attitudes ranges from hard Euroscepticism to strong Europhilia, characterised as uncritical opposition or unwavering support for the EU. Interestingly, these two opposites share some similar features (both represent dynamic constructs), etiologies (both are facilitated by non-transparent governments, a prolonged EU accession processes and foreign influences), as well as consequences, in this chapter conceptualised as ‘Eurovilification’ and ‘Eurofundamentalism’. The analysis is largely focused on the cases of Croatia and North Macedonia, countries with a shared past, yet recently divergent sociopolitical discourses. The chapter aims to show how two largely deterministic and dogmatic approaches towards the EU (embracing or rejecting EU integration), can give rise to conspiracy theories which can shape the political and social fabric of these countries.