Garčević Calls for Increased EU-NATO Engagement

Recent decisions by the NATO Parliamentary Assembly have brought significant changes for Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina, as highlighted by Vesko Garčević, Professor of the Practice of International Relations at Boston University’s Pardee School of Global Studies. His comments were featured in an Al Jazeera Balkan broadcast on May 27.

In his analysis, Garčević highlighted the Assembly’s significant decisions to elevate Kosovo’s status to associate member and grant Bosnia and Herzegovina candidate status. He emphasized the symbolic importance of these moves, particularly for Kosovo, which now holds a position equivalent to Serbia’s in the NATO Parliamentary Assembly.

Garčević noted that the Assembly has designated both Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina as “countries at risk,” a classification he believes primarily refers to potential threats from Russia. In light of this, he called for increased engagement from both the European Union and NATO in the Balkans.

“The European Union and NATO should do more to stabilize our part of the world and prevent possible escalation in the coming times,” Garčević stated. He stressed the importance of preventive action and a more focused effort on integrating aspiring countries into NATO and, particularly, the EU.

Garčević reiterated his view that full integration into Euro-Atlantic structures for willing nations is “the best possible way to stabilize the region for a long time and speed up the ongoing process of democratic transition, strengthening the institutions and create conditions for a lasting stability in the future.”

Garčević also highlighted the geopolitical significance of the Western Balkans, describing it as a longstanding fault line between Russia and the West. He pointed out that Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine has once again brought attention to this region. Garčević warned that unresolved regional disputes leave the door open for Moscow’s interference, either directly or through local actors, with Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina being particularly vulnerable.

Ambassador Vesko Garčević dealt with issues pertinent to European security and NATO for almost 14 years during his diplomatic career. In 2004, he was posted in Vienna to serve as Ambassador to Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. He was Montenegro’s Ambassador to NATO from 2010 until 2014 and served as Montenegro’s National Coordinator for NATO from 2015 until he joined the faculty at the Pardee School. Learn more about Ambassador Garčević on his faculty profile.