Brussels, 29/09/2015 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 29 September, representatives from the Western Balkans said these countries would like a more innovative approach to the enlargement process.
“Politicians, academics, governments and parliaments should try to identify new routes for making the enlargement process more innovative, and not lose time”, said Majlinda Bregu, the leader of the Albanian Parliament's European integration committee and former minister for European integration. She was speaking at a European Policy Center conference on the role of the member states in the enlargement process.
While enlargement policy is the “best, most important policy” that the Balkans have, Bregu criticised the fact that although the process is nearing its completion, there is “no date for the final destination” of accession. “There are attempts, but no timetable”, she regretted, adding that this was “not a good message for the governments, which are losing momentum”.
Bregu added that the European Commission's announcement that there would be no enlargement on the horizon for the next five years meant that the Balkans governments would focus on their local agenda rather than emphasising the European agenda.
In Bregu's view, it is also important to move forwards in the accession process, although all the standards have not been met. “Even if some standards are missing, we should move forwards and the EU should be more involved in requiring the standards to be respected”, Bregu stated, adding that this would take a little time. “We need more political decisions and less political rhetoric”, she said.
The chief negotiator for Serbia's accession to the EU, Tanja Miscevic, called on the EU to be clearer in its communication. “We must give a human face to the enlargement process”, she said. She also called on the Commission to stop using the expression “enlargement fatigue”, which in her opinion gives the “feeling” in the Western Balkans “that we are not wanted” in the EU. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)