Whistle Blowing - Way to Curb Corruption in Balkan EU Candidate Countries

Abstract

This article presents an overview of the progress in implementing anti-corruption framework in four candidate countries in Western Balkan: Albania, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia. The objectives of this paper are to determine what are the main obstacles in implementing these reforms. As Balkan leaders take benefit of EU insecurity to spread and rise their power, they will continue to reduce democracy while continuing to seek EU membership. Whistleblower protection laws are a key way to expose corruption in these regimes, but only if they are actually enforced. In order to ensure optimum EU expansion, EU authorities must hold member states and candidates alike to the highest standards of whistleblower protection. Albania, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia are facing serious crises in their political development. These four Balkan nations, all current EU candidates, have made efforts to adopt whistleblower protection laws, an important step towards curbing corruption in the region. However, these regulations are rarely enforced and have had little impact. If the EU is committed to keeping Balkan authoritarianism in check, it must ensure that candidate countries adequately implement these laws and make efforts to encourage whistle blowing.