China and the EU in the Western Balkans
August 2020
China and the EU in the Western Balkans
A zero-sum game?
Wouter Zweers, Vladimir Shopov, Frans-Paul van der Putten, Mirela Petkova & Maarten Lemstra

Disclaimer

The research for and production of this report has been conducted within the PROGRESS research framework agreement. Responsibility for the contents and for the opinions expressed, rests solely with the authors and does not constitute, nor should be construed as, an endorsement by the Netherlands Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defence.

About the authors


Wouter Zweers is a Research Fellow at the EU and Global Affairs unit of the Clingendael Institute. His research revolves around the external dimension of EU policy-making, focusing specifically on the Eastern Partnership and Western Balkans regions. He coordinates Clingendael’s ‘Balkans Hub’, a project in which Clingendael engages with local think tanks from the Western Balkans in joint research and events.

Vladimir Shopov is an Associate Fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) Sofia and an Adjunct Professor in Politics at Sofia University and the Diplomatic Institute of Bulgaria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. His areas of research include the EU’s political evolution, EU conditionality, China’s presence in South-East Europe and the UK’s policies towards the EU.

Frans-Paul van der Putten is a Senior Research Fellow at the EU and Global Affairs unit of the Clingendael Institute. His area of research is the geopolitical significance of the rise of China as a global power. He is the coordinator of the Clingendael China Centre.

Mirela Petkova is a Junior Researcher at the Clingendael China Centre. Her work focuses on China’s foreign policy, with a special interest in the EU and Eastern Europe.

Maarten Lemstra is a Research Assistant at the EU and Global Affairs unit of the Clingendael Institute.

Photo credits

Construction of bridge of a new highway through the Moraca canyon in Montenegro
© Shutterstock