This article investigates a particular form of civil society mobilisation in the EU accession process. Despite widely varying models of civil society inclusion across the Western Balkans, monitoring coalitions focused on rule of law issues have emerged in a majority of countries. Comparing the cases of Croatia, Montenegro, and Serbia, the article suggests that this phenomenon cannot be explained by external EU incentives alone, but is significantly shaped by the dynamics of transnational diffusion. The findings offer a fuller picture of the forces shaping civil society mobilisation in accession countries and hold important lessons for the EU’s involvement in strengthening non-governmental organisations on the ground. The article is available for download here.
[East European Politics]
