Although the Balkans are no longer the "powder keg of Europe", it is clear that they have not yet evolved into a model of regional stability, development, and cooperation. While the wars have been terminated for several years, there are still some hotspots of tension, as well as bilateral disputes between countries in the region, with the most significant ones being Kosovo, the future of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Greece-North Macedonia dispute over the name issue. It should be noted, of course, the accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the EU and NATO, as well as Albania and Croatia to the NATO. Croatia's accession to the EU is likely not to be delayed much, while the accession process of the other Western Balkan countries will be significantly longer, both due to the problems of the region and the "enlargement fatigue" of the EU. There are still many elements that make up the Balkan puzzle. Indicatively, we mention minority rights, organized crime and corruption, as well as the progress of the democratization process.

In this volume, prominent experts examine developments in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, and Serbia, as well as issues such as energy, transportation, organized crime, the role of the European Union in the democratization of the Balkans, and the role of Russia.

Contents:

- Charalampos Kontonis, "Albania from Crisis to Development (1999-2008): Aspects of its internal politics and Euro-Atlantic course".
- Marilena Koppa, "North Macedonia: Difficulties are not over yet..."
- Dimitris Kairidis, "Serbia-The unfulfilled promise: Democratic change and the legacy of Milosevic".
- Kyriakos D. Kentrotis, "Bulgaria: Reality and quests in the early 21st century".
- Nikolaos Tzifakis, Eustathios T. Fakiolas, "Romania in the Euro-Atlantic institutions: In search of a new role".
- Othon Anastasakis, "The European Union and the democratization of the Balkan region: Great expectations, restrained performance".
- Manos Karagiannis, "Russian foreign policy in post-communist Balkans"
- Ioannis N. Grigoriadis, "Southeastern Europe as an energy transit hub: Impacts on regional and European security".
- Panagiotis G. Andressakis, "Geoeconomics and transportation policy: The contribution of planned networks to the integration of the Balkan economic area".
- Emilio Giatsidis, "Organized crime in Southeast Europe"