Why EU’s Balkan Expansion Faces Long and Winding Road

In the map of the European Union lies a conspicuous and large hole where five former parts of Yugoslavia plus Albania are located. The leaders of those countries are keen to join the bloc, while the EU, concerned about stability in the west Balkans and the growing influence of Russia and China, is also eager — just not right now with a pandemic going on, and not before its conditions are met.