Summary:
The cases that are used for the study of this subject are Greece, Bulgaria and Turkey. The Justification for these countries is based on three assumptions; first although Greece is a Balkan country it is considered outside the typical framework of other SEE countries and has gained membership to the EU logn before these states have initiated negotiations, second, Bulgaria is considered to be an indicative case of an SEE country that has managed to fulfill criteria and become member of the European Union and third, Turkey which is an SEE country as well, although has been negotiating with the European Union for more than two decades is still being challenged by extensive negotiations which have been inconclusive in regards to its potential membership and prospective integration.