The European Union accession process of the post-Yugoslavian countries: Case studies of Slovenia and Croatia

This study analyses the reasons for the different progress of Slovenia and Croatia during the European Union accession processes with the past events they lived in the Yugoslavia Federation. Behind the collapse of Yugoslavia, there were particular motives. One of them was the increase of nationalism in the states after the death of Josip Broz Tito. The study also examined the impact of the European Community as another reason. During the independence movements, most of the Central and Eastern European countries used "return to Europe" as a rhetorical device. In this context, what distinguishes Slovenia and Croatia from other former Yugoslavian countries is that they have become the only countries that joined the European Union. However, Slovenia joined in 2004, while Croatia could join in 2013. Although their independence from Yugoslavia in 1991 was the same, the following process developed differently. This study attempts to ascertain the reasons for this time difference by analysing the legacy of Yugoslavia's past. However, the results reveal that the reasons are unrestricted to their past but also the European Union's evolving enlargement concerns.