Back to the basics: election integrity as a eu accession criteria for the western balkan countries
The Global Commission on Election, Democracy and Security defines election integrity as “election that is based on the democratic principles of universal suffrage and political equality as reflected in international standards and agreements, and is professional, impartial, and transparent in its preparation and administration throughout the electoral cycle”. Elections with integrity are the keyto preserving stability, peace and security not only at a national, but also at European level. The perspectives of the EU integration of the Western Balkans have been continuously viewed through the lens of the European security and stability. From the viewpoint of election integrity, the 1993 Copenhagen accession criteria require from the candidate countries to achieve stability of institutionsguaranteeing democracy and the rule of law. The Western Balkan countries are experiencing a long-time struggle to satisfy the said EU democratic criteria. The paper aims to shed light on the 1993 Copenhagen criteria with respect to the obligation to conduct elections with integrity and discusses the EU support modalities for ensuring election integrity in the Western Balkans, as well assynergies created with other regional organizations in this regard. The paper concludes that regardless of the EU integration perspective of the Western Balkan countries, the citizens of the region deserve elections with integrity comparable to those of the EU countries.