European Union (EU) officials are looking ahead to 2030 as a possible target for enlargement into the Western Balkans. In preparation, the leaders of these six aspirant countries (Kosovo, North Macedonia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Albania) are gauging how strictly Brussels enforces it directives and regulations—with the energy sector particularly important given its significance to economic growth and social stability, and its impact on the climate. Neighboring Bulgaria provides a test case. Although an EU member now for fifteen years,…
