FISCAL (IN)STABILITY IN THE COUNTRIES OF THE WESTERN BALKANS

<p>The consequences caused by the Covid 19 crisis have had a negative impact on the public finances of the countries of the Western Balkans. Their fiscal stability was negatively affected by the many geopolitical changes that followed. Will changes in the global market slow down the process of accession of the Western Balkan countries to the European Union? These changes are caused by the consequences of the war in Ukraine and Gaza, the change in political circumstances in America, the strengthening of the BRICS alliance and Russia's turn towards African and Asian countries. The aim of this research is to review the public finances of the Western Balkan countries based on the evaluation of their fiscal consolidation. Based on a descriptive and comparative analysis, it will be possible to conclude whether and, if so, to what extent the path of integration of the Western Balkan countries into the European Union is difficult.</p>