How effective is the effort of the European Union to spread its normative power among its candidate countries through the ERASMUS+ exchange program? : The case of Albania

Abstract: The European Union, viewing itself as a normative actor, employs various means to disseminate its normative power within its member states, candidate countries, and the global context. The ERASMUS+ program comprises one of the tools designed to enhance the EU's international presence by facilitating cross-cultural interactions among participants and fostering group affiliations. This study aims to explore this impact on ERASMUS+ participants from EU candidate countries like Albania, employing constructivist concepts. By conducting interviews with both mobile and non-mobile Albanian exchange students, leading a comparative analysis, this research seeks to offer deeper insights into the extent to which the normative power of the EU influences these participants and their European identity formation. The guiding hypothesis, that participating in an ERASMUS+ program successfully shifts the identities of the students towards a more pro-European stance, has been verified through the discourse analysis of the interviewees answers. Hence, the normative power of the European Union is present and strengthened through this tool in the candidate countries.