Building multi-level governance in Southeast Europe?

Drawing on the contributions to this volume, this concluding analysis reflects on the extent to which European Union (EU) cohesion policy and related pre-accession instruments are contributing to the development of more compound polities in Southeast Europe and, specifically, promoting multi-level governance. It argues that these EU policies have created more compound polities but that system-wide multi-level governance remains weak in the case study states and central governments remain prominent. However, there are interesting and potentially important developments in relation to particular features of multi-level governance, not least in states whose engagement with the EU in this sphere is relatively new. As such, a large part of this story appears yet to unfold.