Authoritarian states such as Russia and China use various strategies to hinder the Euro-Atlantic integration and to manipulate politics and public opinion in the Western Balkans. This, among other things, was said by Rumena Filipova, the recipient of the IVLP Impact Award of the US State Department and founder of the Institute for Global Analytics (IGA). Commenting on the recent clash between North Macedonia and Bulgaria over the amendments to the Constitution, Filipova pointed out that foreign actors use these tensions to create mistrust and hinder the process of the European integration of the Republic of North Macedonia.
Journalist: Enis Shaqiri
Portalb: How does foreign policy of countries that are against Euro-Atlantic integration, such as Russia and China, affect the internal policies of other Eastern European countries that are not yet members of EU and NATO?
Rumena Filipova: This is accomplished in several ways, including disinformation, political elite capture and through corrupt economic investment. For example, in order to exert influence, these countries can use large infrastructure projects such as the Belt and Road Initiative. When it comes to disinformation, these countries often intervene in the media of countries aspiring for EU membership, by spreading messages and disinformation that sow distrust toward the European integration process. Through these messages, it is often claimed that joining the EU will result in negative economic consequences and loss of sovereignty.
Portalb: To what degree do the Eastern European countries depend on these influential countries, keeping in mind the access to cheap loans from China?
Rumena Filipova: For countries that want to join the EU it can’t be said that they “depend on malign influences”, since the EU-Western countries are those that provide the majority of economic investment (although that is rarely reflected in the media or the public). Furthermore, cheap loans from China often have challenging requirements and can turn into a debt trap, such as the one in Montenegro. Politicians who seek financial aid are the ones who most often act as channels for foreign malign influences, anticipating the benefits from authoritarian states.
Rumena Filipova, founder of the Institute for Global Analytics (IGA)
Photograph from her Facebook profile
Portalb: Do you believe that countries such as Russia and China use the slowdown in the enlargement of the European Union to attract the countries of the Western Balkans?
Rumena Filipova: No, although the EU was criticized for the slowdown of the accession process of the Western Balkan countries, it has made significant investment in these countries. The internal problems of the countries of the Western Balkans, such as weak governance, corruption and historical tensions are the main reasons for the delay of the European Union (EU) accession process. For that reason, authoritarian countries do not gain from the “failure” of the EU, but spread disinformation that try to showcase the EU in a negative light, deepening the conflicts and divisions in Western Balkan societies and hindering the European integration.
Portalb: Can you give us an example of when the influence of these countries (Russia, China) directly affected policies of the countries from the Western Balkans?
Rumena Filipova: One of those cases can be seen in Serbia. The Russian-Chinese influence in politics, media and economy reinforced Belgrade’s pursuit of a “balanced” foreign policy between East and West, and with that undermined the clear dedication toward European integration.
Portalb: What should the countries from the Western Balkans and the ones from the European Union do to overcome and prevent these influences?
Rumena Filipova: Above all, the countries from the Western Balkans that aspire to gain EU membership have to strongly commit and fulfill the EU Membership Criteria. On the other hand, Brussels will have to set clearer dates for Enlargement.
Portalb: Finally, what is the likelihood that external actors who are against Euro-Atlantic integration will take advantage of the historical and cultural clashes that have flared up again with the recent change of the Government of North Macedonia? In particular, how could they take advantage of disputes with countries like Bulgaria, which is the only condition and which refer to the constitutional amendments for the inclusion of the Bulgarian minority in the preamble of the state, and with Greece regarding the name issue?
Rumena Filipova: They have already made it happen. Russia is using the cultural-historical divisions and tensions on the Balkans to prevent EU membership.
