MEPs from all political parties expressed their disappointment on Thursday 7 May at the statement issued at the end of the EU/Western Balkans summit the day before, which was adopted by EU Member States and endorsed by the Western Balkan countries.
At issue is the absence of the terms “enlargement” or “EU accession”. Only the “unequivocal support” of the EU “for the European perspective of the Western Balkans” is mentioned (see EUROPE 12480/10).
At the meeting of the European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs, attended by Enlargement and Neighbourhood Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi, Tanja Fajon (S&D, Slovenia) said the absence represented a “lack of ambition”, while Paolo Rangel (EPP, Portugal) regretted a “weakening” of the wording. German MEP Viola von Cramon-Taubadel for the Greens/EFA and Bulgarian MEP Ilhan Kyuchyuk for Renew Europe also questioned the wording. “I regret that there is no clear statement on enlargement (...) There is a risk of a negative perception of the chosen words”, Anna Fotyga (ECR, Poland) worried.
Mr Várhelyi wanted to reassure. According to him, the summit declaration builds on previous declarations which also mention a “European perspective”, which he says is more or less the “birth name of accession policy”. “The declaration is a very clear confirmation of the possibility for each of the Western Balkan countries to become a member of the EU”, he added.
Western Balkans are part of the EU, says von der Leyen
Already the day before, at the end of the summit, European leaders had tried to reassure the region by stressing the European perspective of the Western Balkans.
“The Western Balkans belong in the EU. There is no question for us about this”, explained the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. In support of these remarks, the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, Mrs von der Leyen and the Prime Minister of Croatia, Andrej Plenković, whose country currently holds the Presidency of the EU Council, recalled the opening of EU accession negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania last March (see EUROPE 12454/31). Mr Plenković even considered that Bosnia and Herzegovina, his country’s neighbour, deserved the status of a candidate country.
Pursuing reforms
The Presidents of the European Council and the Commission, however, did not fail to recall what the European perspective implied for these countries. “This means that the pursuit of reforms, particularly in relation to the Rule of law, democratic values, the fight against corruption and the fight against organised crime must remain absolutely essential priorities”, stressed the former. For the latter, "a free press is also a cornerstone of democracy and in Europe’s DNA”. “We know if we want to fight disinformation, we need a strong and a free press. This is the best means against disinformation”, she said, at a time when the media situation in the Balkans is worrying. At their meeting, MEPs also expressed their concerns about the Serbian case.
Regional cooperation was also highlighted by European leaders. While Mr Michel stressed the importance of implementing North Macedonia’s agreements with its neighbours, Mr Plenkovic returned to the Dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, believing that its enhancement would be beneficial both for the normalisation of their relations and for the stability of the region.
“Regional cooperation and good neighbourly relations are essential for economic recovery in the region” post-Covid-19, warned the President of the European Commission. For Mrs von der Leyen, the EU wants the Western Balkans to enter into the single market and benefit from it.
She promised that the Commission would present, “surely later this year”, an economic and investment plan for longer-term recovery. This plan should focus on connectivity, the Green Deal and the digital transition. It will be linked to the Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027, which has not yet been agreed.
In front of MEPs, Mr Várhelyi announced that the plan should be presented in the autumn. This plan, which should have been announced at the summit, finally gave way to specific action to help the Balkan countries in the fight against Covid-19. Cooperation between the EU and the Western Balkans in this fight was also discussed at the summit.
And while the summit’s final declaration does not contain a date for a meeting, Mr Plenković called for a summit to be held systematically at least every two years, in order to “politically guide our relationship in the future”.
See the Zagreb Declaration: https://bit.ly/3cdWXOK (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)