The purpose of this article is to take stock of the European integration literature in reference to
Eastern Europe in order to better understand how international forces affect minority rights. The
article will focus on the status of the Albanian minority in the case of the Republic of Macedonia and
attempt to illustrate how European integration has contributed to or hindered ethnic reconciliation
between the ethnic Albanian minority and Macedonian majority through a historical-sociological
analysis. Additionally, by linking the protection of minority rights to democratic consolidation, this
article will show how the former is largely dependent on the latter.