East meets west

A few monts back I noted the beneficial effects that the EU was having on governance in its near and aspiring neighbours. Here's another article detailing how EU membership is both attractive and also consequently driving better governance in the Balkans. "None of these advances provide magic solutions to severe problems. But they are all powerful evidence of the magnetic pull of the EU. The irony is that this is rarely appreciated by the disenchanted citizens of the union's old member states, unhappy with the constitution, the euro, rows over the budget or that familiar old punch-bag - Brussels bureaucracy."
In a world where the stick seems to speak loudly, it's good to be reminded that carrots work too, perhaps better in the long run.
Guardian Unlimited | World dispatch | East meets west: