Brussels, 10/12/2014 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 9 December, Albania's Prime Minister Edi Rama called on the EU to stop its “acting” with regard to the Balkans. In his view, while the countries in the region must do what they have to do, the EU must also do its work.
Rama stressed that the situation in the Balkans should not be seen as “business as usual”. “The big success story in the Balkans can be transformed into a big nightmare”, he warned during a conference on the Balkans organised by Friends of Europe. Rama said that the EU should not make “the error of thinking that everything that had been achieved was forever”.
He stated that it was crucial for the EU to enlarge to the Balkans, saying that, while there was “enlargement fatigue”, the EU should understand that there was also “patience fatigue”. “The EU is a good idea that is increasingly badly implemented”, Rama said, adding that the “problem was not the project but the implementation of the project”.
While noting that European public opinion was not in favour of enlargement, Italy's Under-Secretary of State Benedetto Della Vedova added that it was necessary not to remain on the defensive because of these difficulties with public opinion. “It's important to think about a strategic way forward, while bearing in mind, not the next elections, but the next decades” and the next generation, he said. “Enlargement must be a strategic priority for the EU to promote peace”, he added.
Andrej Plenkovic MEP (Croatia) wanted summits, such as the one in Thessalonica in 2003, to take place - as was initially planned - once every three years, with a credible timetable until the next summit. Rama underlined the importance of results, and of follow-up on conferences. “I don't want a Thessalonica where things are spoken about, a paper is left, and where there is no continuity”, he said.
Rama highlighted the importance of the EU assisting with projects in the Balkans financially - projects that the Balkan countries cannot accomplish with their own means. “It's important not just for the mantra of the rule of law to be repeated but also to develop relations based on regional cooperation instruments”, he said. Rama stated that other countries, such as Russia and China, were moving forwards quickly in the region. China, for example, is organising a conference in the Balkans to speak about investment and money. “We would like to see the same thing from the EU”, he said. Della Vedova stated that the Balkans were being courted by states that themselves had no requirements in terms of the rule of law. (CG)