Investment contracts in the Western Balkans: Legal and foreign-policy consequences
Development summary
Hamza Preljević and Harun Halilović investigate the legal and political implications of investment contracts originating from Russia and China in the Western Balkans, particularly Bosnia and Herzegovina. The article places these investments in the context of alternatives to the European Union, avoidance of local courts, transparency concerns and legal disputes.
The authors use legal and contextual content analysis together with case studies. Their assessment is that such investments may affect states’ foreign-policy alignments and progress towards European Union integration, while reduced emphasis on that integration may produce unintended consequences for reform trajectories in the Western Balkans.
Research note
Issue
The legal consequences of Russian- and Chinese-origin investment contracts in the Western Balkans in relation to local courts, legal disputes and the EU-integration process
Why does it matter?
The article treats cross-border investment contracts not only as matters of investment and arbitration, but also as legal issues connected with local courts, legality, foreign-policy alignment and European Union accession. Its focus on Bosnia and Herzegovina’s complex constitutional and legal system provides a basis for assessing how policies reducing the focus on European Union integration may affect reform trajectories in the Western Balkans.
Concepts
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Academic details
“LEGAL AND FOREIGN POLICY ASPECTS OF INVESTMENT CONTRACTS IN THE WESTERN BALKANS: EXPLORING ALTERNATIVES TO THE EUROPEAN UNION”
Studia Politica Romanian Political Science Review · 2026
DOI 10.62229/sprps26-1/5
Show suggested citation
Hamza Preljević, Harun Halilović, “LEGAL AND FOREIGN POLICY ASPECTS OF INVESTMENT CONTRACTS IN THE WESTERN BALKANS: EXPLORING ALTERNATIVES TO THE EUROPEAN UNION”, Studia Politica Romanian Political Science Review, 2026-09-23, 10.62229/sprps26-1/5. https://doi.org/10.62229/sprps26-1/5