Anjeza Xhaferaj

The EU is still seen as the Western Balkans’ anchor for stability and modernisation. But where reforms remain invisible and institutions remain captured, European support risks strengthening expectations without delivering democratic trust.

How does EU democracy promotion operate in a country that is firmly pro-European yet persistently hybrid? Drawing on original survey data and process-tracing of EU-funded justice and media reforms, this paper argues that selective trust and informal power mediate Europeanisation in Albania, shaping how citizens experience reform, allocate credibility, and engage with EU-linked institutions