Europeanizing Kosovo? : role and impact of EU-funded non-governmental and civil society organizations (NGOs/CSOs) on policies and institutions of state-building

Abstract

Kosovo has been present in European debates since the early 1980s, culminating with the 1999 international intervention in the country due to the Kosovo-Serbia conflict, and as a result of subsequent talks about Kosovo´s contested statehood. The EU has been described as a major influence on Kosovo policies and institutions. For the EU, cooperating with NGOs/CSOs in Kosovo complies with the Union´s role of promoting human rights and democratic principles in third countries, and making sure that Kosovo adopts EU rules, norms, and values in its process towards EU integration. Drawing from empirical evidence, the purpose of this thesis has been to, first establish a comprehensive picture of the NGO/CSO activities in Kosovo; second, to assess the effects of NGOs/CSOs on both policy implementation and institution building – using Kosovo as a single case. The case has been analyzed through the scope of (External) Europeanization and EU credibility, legitimacy and coherence. The findings of this thesis suggest that the EU is in fact using NGOs/CSOs as facilitators of EU rules, norms and values, however for this diffusion to be effective, NGOs´/CSOs´ capability to impact policy-making and institution building is dependent on several other factors such as domestic pressure, EU coherence and credibility