On Tuesday 17 April, the European Commission recommended that accession negotiations be opened with Albania and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), in the light of progress made in maintaining and increasing the current pace of reforms.
The Council must now decide whether or not to agree. This discussion will be for the General Affairs Council of June.
In recent years, the countries of the Balkans have undertaken major reforms and modernised their economies, summed up the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini, presenting the 2018 report on the enlargement countries. In general, the countries must maintain and even intensify the reforms process, particularly concerning the rule of law, human rights and competitiveness, and ensure that the reforms adopted are properly implemented, the High Representative said.
The situation in Turkey, on the other hand, is more complex.
Albania. Although the Commission recommends that negotiations be launched, it also stresses the progress will be vital in the priority field of the rule of law, particularly in the five priority reform areas: professional and depoliticised administration, justice reform, tackling organised crime, the fight against corruption and human rights. Continuing to secure tangible and concrete results in the evaluation of judges and public prosecutors - and the vetting process - are particularly highlighted. The Commission also reiterated that the number of asylum applications presented by Albanians to member states was still high and that further action needed to be taken in order to tackle this phenomenon effectively.
Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. The Commission recommends that negotiations be opened for FYROM but adds that achieving the urgent reform priorities will be decisive in the country’s continued process. The country has finally overcome its political crisis. Since summer 2017, considerable work has been done to respond to the urgent reform priorities, thanks to a general appetite for reform, followed by the preparation of strategies and laws and the consultation of all stakeholders, including the political opposition, inclusively and transparently, the Commission summarises, but adds that the country must intensify its reform efforts.
Bosnia & Herzegovina. According to the High Representative, the Commission is working on an opinion by request of Sarajevo to become a candidate to join the EU. The Commission has a number of criticisms of the progress made by Bosnia & Herzegovina. It considers that the country made slow progress throughout 2017 on the priorities stemming from its reform process. The EU-oriented reform efforts must be intensified to resolve the deeply rooted structural problems that are hindering the country’s development, it considers. The Commission states that the election framework still needs to be modified as a matter of urgency to ensure the proper unfolding of the elections of October 2018. Other socio-economic reforms, reinforcing the rule of law and public administration and improving cooperation between all levels of power are also still priorities.
Kosovo. Mogherini said that work continued on additional progress on the basis of the stabilisation and association agreement. Stressing that the new government and assembly have been in place since September, the Commission regrets the fact that so far, the new coalition in power has had limited success in proposing reforms related to the EU and establishing consensus on key strategic issues. It also considers that Pristina is at an early stage in both its legal system and its fight against corruption and organised crime. Kosovo must considerably increase its commitment to dialogue with Serbia, particularly the implementation of all agreements, especially the agreement on the association of Serb-majority municipalities, the Commission warns, adding that the ratification of the border delimitation agreement with Montenegro is a critical stage towards visa liberalisation for the Kosovar people.
Serbia. Serbia has made good progress in its negotiations, the High Representative reported, having opened 12 chapters, two of which have been provisionally closed. The general pace of negotiations will continue to depend on Serbia’s progress in reforms and, in particular, a more sustained pace of rule of law reforms and the normalisation of relations with Kosovo, the Commission states, adding that the country should considerably reinforce its commitment to dialogue. According to the Commission, Belgrade must redouble its efforts and achieve more results, for instance by creating an environment conducive to the freedom of expression, by stepping up the independence and overall effectiveness of the judicial system. The country must also make progress in tackling corruption and organised crime.
Montenegro. Montenegro has made good progress in its negotiations; the High Representative told the press. In all, 30 negotiation chapters have been opened, three of which have been closed provisionally. However, there is still progress to be made. For instance, although Montenegro has continued to make progress in the field of the rule of law, notably on the legal and institutional front, the practical impact of the reforms is still not sufficiently visible and no progress has been made over the freedom of expression, the Commission reports. It notes that satisfactory progress has been made concerning recruitment based on merit throughout public services, which must now be set into place.
Unsurprisingly, much criticism for Turkey
Turkey. The analysis shows that the country has continued to deviate considerably from the EU, particularly concerning the rule of law and human rights, the Commissioner for Enlargement Negotiations, Johannes Hahn, told the press, stressing that the country was a key partner of the EU. The Commission’s report on Turkey is by no means positive. It stresses that under the current circumstances, there are no plans to open any new accession chapters, as Turkey has moved so far away from the EU. The Turkish government has reiterated its commitment to joining the EU, but this has not been accompanied by the corresponding measures and reforms, the Commission adds, calling on Turkey to make it a priority to reverse the current negative tendency in the rule of law and its fundamental rights, starting by lifting the state of emergency and tackling the weakened system of checks and balances in the political system. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)