European Parliament Debates on Serbia's Progress Reports: A Constructivist Analysis (2012-2024)

Öz

Drawing on a social constructivist framework, this study examines the European Parliament’s (EP) deliberations on Serbia’s Progress Reports from 2012 to 2024. Operating on the hypothesis that EU enlargement constitutes a normative identity-building process rather than a purely technical harmonisation, the study employs qualitative content analysis on a corpus of 352 parliamentary speeches retrieved from the EP e-archive. These parliamentary views are consolidated into five overarching themes: Rule of Law and Judiciary; Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms; Regional Cooperation and the Kosovo Process; Common European Values and Identity; and Foreign Policy and Geopolitical Alignment. The findings demonstrate three salient discursive shifts in the EP’s stance toward Serbia. In the 2012-2015 period, Serbia was articulated as a “promising partner”; however, between 2016 and 2021, the discourse pivoted toward critiques of authoritarianization and processes of “othering.” In the wake of the 2022 war in Ukraine, Serbia’s candidacy has been reframed as a geopolitical loyalty test. Ultimately, the study identifies that the EP’s discursive construction has established a normative and cultural threshold for Serbia, one that transcends the reach of conventional technical reforms.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• European Parliament
• Serbia
• Progress Report
• Common European Values
• Foreign Policy

Avrupa Parlamentosu’nun Sırbistan İlerleme Raporları Üzerine Tartışmaları: İnşacı Bir Analiz (2012-2024)

Öz

Bu çalışma, 2012-2024 yılları arasında Avrupa Parlamentosu'nun (AP) Sırbistan İlerleme Raporları üzerine yürüttüğü tartışmaları sosyal inşacı bir perspektifle analiz etmektedir. AB genişlemesinin sadece teknik bir uyum süreci değil, aynı zamanda normatif bir kimlik inşası olduğu varsayımından hareket eden bu çalışmada; AP e-arşivinden elde edilen 352 parlamenter konuşmasını nitel içerik analizine tabi tutmaktadır. Parlamenter görüşleri, en sık vurgulanan 5 tema altında gruplandırılmıştır. Bunlar: Hukukun Üstünlüğü ve Yargı, İnsan Hakları ve Temel Özgürlükler, Bölgesel İş Birliği ve Kosova Süreci, Avrupa Ortak Değerleri ve Kimliği, Dış Politika ve Jeopolitik Uyum. Analiz sonuçları, AP söyleminde Sırbistan’a yönelik üç belirgin söylemsel kayma yaşandığını ortaya koymaktadır. 2012-2015 arası ilk dönemde Sırbistan gelecek vaat eden bir ortak olarak inşa edilirken; 2016-2021 yılları arasında söylem otoriterleşme eleştirileri ve ötekileştirme üzerinden şekillenmiştir. 2022 sonrası Ukrayna Savaşı süreci ise Sırbistan’ın üyeliğini bir “jeopolitik sadakat testine” dönüştürmüştür. Sonuç olarak, Avrupa Parlamentosu’nun inşa ettiği bu söylemin, Sırbistan’ın önüne sadece teknik reformlarla aşılması oldukça zor olan normatif ve kültürel bir bariyer koyduğu tespit edilmiştir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Avrupa Parlamentosu
• Sırbistan
• İlerleme Raporu
• Avrupa Ortak Değerleri
• Dış Politika

Kaynakça

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