The European Union has to take a united stand on the Western Balks or others will shape its neighbourhood, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker warned on Wednesday. “We must find unity when it comes to the Western Balkans – once and for all. Should we not, our immediate neighbourhood will be shaped by others,” he said in his state of the union address to the EP.

The new US administration has not yet formulated a policy towards the Western Balkans, and the European Union is running out of “carrots” to motivate the Balkan countries in the implementation of reforms, and again European integration, with Russian obstructions, still remains the best way for the region – US analysts said on Monday on the panel “Western Balkans – Delicate Balance” at the Woodrow Wilson Center.

Croatia's EU accession marked the end of one accession model, Regional Cooperation Council Secretary-General Goran Svilanovic said on Thursday.

The process is now completely different for Western Balkan states due to the circumstances in the region and the EU itself, such as the economic crisis, migration and Brexit, he said.

"Europe must define itself first," Svilanovic said at a conference titled (Re)-Balkanisation of the Western Balkans.

From the refugee crisis to security threats, Europe’s biggest challenges pass through the Western Balkans. But officials worry that Brexit will see the EU turn inwards just as Russia’s influence in the region is on the rise.

European Union leaders on Monday sought to reassure Balkan nations that talks on their becoming members of the bloc would continue despite Britain's vote to leave the union.

French President Francois Hollande, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini held a meeting with Balkan leaders in Paris during which they underlined their determination to continue the accession talks.

The paper runs an editorial by Anders Åslund is a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council in Washington, DC, and the author, most recently, of Ukraine: What Went Wrong and How to Fix It.

The United Kingdom’s Brexit vote is arguably the greatest disaster ever to hit the European Union. Now, the EU must act fast – not least by ending the post-referendum market turmoil – if it is to survive.

The paper runs an editorial by Jeffrey D. Sachs, Professor of Sustainable Development, Professor of Health Policy and Management, and Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University. Sachs is also Director of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network.