The operation of the Constitutional Court in Albania as a determinant of the EU accession process

The place of the Constitutional Court in Albania’s political system, the significance attributed to this institution and most of all the possibilities of fulfilment of its constitutional role are the subject of the analysis taken up in this paper. It addresses in particular the impact of the manner of operation of the Constitutional Court in the context of Albania’s European aspirations. Moreover, the study emphasises a thesis that Albania’s efforts to obtain membership of the European Union have been an essential element strengthening the process of Albania’s political, social and economic transformation.

National identity is an important aspect of shaping the nation. Macedonians create their identity, and thus their separateness from others, with the help of elements that bind the community together, such as - the state, religion, and language. As early as 1991, when the Republic of Macedonia gained independence, the country fought for its national independence. At that time, there were many conflicts related to Macedonian identity. The main goal of the article is to present crucial changes in the Constitution of the Republic of North Macedonia that occurred after 1991 and were related to signed international agreements as well as to two conflicts: Macedonian-Albanian and Macedonian-Greek

This article addresses the problem of the EP’s role in the process of multi-level governance illustrated with the example of EU expansion policy through the accession of the West Balkan states. As an effect of the European integration process, resulting in the transfer of decision-making competences from the state level to the transnational level, nation-states have lost their monopolistic position in the European decision-making process. This has enabled the formation of multi-level political system within the EU. Within the system, there is a multi-level governance model, with the EP as its crucial element. This article reveals an important role of the EP as a transnational decision-making centre, which with its specific competences (giving consent to the accession of a country to the EU, giving consent to sign international agreements crucial for the integration process, budget rights, co-decisions on the form of the EU law with an ordinary law making procedure) considerably forms the policy of the EU in relation to the Balkan countries. The explanation of the policy’s functioning and its outcomes are based on the concept of multi-level governance, which is analyzed herein in depth.