On Thursday 12 September, the Prime Ministers of the Visegrad group countries (Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia) reiterated “their unequivocal support for the accession of the Western Balkans to the EU and their firm conviction that the reunification of Europe cannot be complete without their accession to the European Union”.
In a statement issued after a meeting with their partners from the countries of the region, they called on all EU stakeholders, in view of the October General Affairs Council, “to maintain and consolidate the positive momentum created by the substantial progress made in reforms, as well as the entry into force of the historic Prespa Agreement by opening accession negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania”. After postponing the decision from June to October, Member States should decide on the opening of these negotiations at the October Council.
“The launch of negotiations in October 2019 will not only allow these two countries to focus more on the necessary reforms and will provide an important incentive for the whole region, but will also ensure that the EU continues to be the main actor in promoting positive regional transformation”, the V4 leaders said.
The Visegrad group also expressed the hope that negotiations with Serbia and Montenegro would be accelerated during the Commission's next mandate, depending on their progress, and that the EU would be ready to “welcome the first countries meeting the accession conditions in the multiannual financial framework for 2021-2027”. They also hoped that the reform processes in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo in the period to come will strengthen the prospect of accession to the EU in the region. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)