Progress and Setbacks in building the Rule of Law in South East Europe

The endeavours of South East European states to pursue European integration have generated enormous challenges. Beyond democratisation and the substitution of market economics for the failed policies of a socialist planned economy, the process of state-building needed to be tackled. There were successful efforts to adopt democratic constitutions and to develop the institutions of democracy. Yet the region requires a commitment from the Western community of nations to support the initiated judicial reforms.