Abstract This paper focuses on perceptions of the European Union (EU) and external actors (such as the United States, Russia, and Turkey) in six countries of the Western Balkans (WB) and Croatia in a comparative perspective. We present data generated by public opinion polls and surveys in all countries of that region in order to illustrate growing trends of EU indifferentism in all predominately Slavic countries of the region. In addition, there is an open rejection of pro-EU policies by significant segments of public opinion in Serbia and in the Republic of Srpska, Bosnia-Herzegovina. On the contrary, there is much enthusiasm and support for the West in general and the EU in particular in predominately non-Slavic countries, Kosovo and Albania. We argue that the WB as a region defined by alleged desire of all countries to join the the EU is more of an elite concept than that shared by the general population, which remains divided over the issue of EU membership. In explaining reasons for such a gap we emphasise a role of interpretation of the recent past, especially when it comes to a role the West played in the region during the 1990s.

中文翻译：

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加入欧洲联盟和对西巴尔干地区外部参与者的看法

摘要本文从比较的角度着眼于西方巴尔干半岛（WB）和克罗地亚的六个国家对欧盟（EU）和外部参与者（例如美国，俄罗斯和土耳其）的看法。我们提供该地区所有国家/地区的民意测验和调查产生的数据，以说明该地区所有主要是斯拉夫国家中欧盟冷漠主义的增长趋势。此外，塞尔维亚和波斯尼亚和黑塞哥维那的斯普斯卡共和国的很多舆论都公开反对亲欧盟政策。相反，总体上对西方，尤其是在非斯拉夫国家，科索沃和阿尔巴尼亚等国家，尤其是欧盟，都抱有很大的热情和支持。我们认为，世界银行作为一个被所有国家都加入欧盟的愿望所定义的地区，而不是普通大众所共有的精英概念，而普通大众在欧盟成员资格问题上仍然存在分歧。在解释造成这种差距的原因时，我们强调了解释最近的过去的作用，尤其是当谈到西方在1990年代在该地区发挥的作用时。