On Friday 6 October in Tirana, the European Commissioner for Enlargement, Olivér Várhelyi, announced at a meeting with the foreign ministers of the countries participating in the Berlin Process that the Commission would be presenting a new growth plan for the countries of the Western Balkans “in the coming weeks”.
This future plan should be based on four pillars: increasing regional integration into the European economy, bringing the countries of the Western Balkans closer to the EU single market, speeding up “fundamental” reforms with a view to EU membership, and increasing pre-accession funds.
“Before accession takes place, of course, we want to help our partners in the Western Balkans to speed up the reform programmes they are implementing in order to achieve more tangible results on the ground for citizens and businesses in terms of the introduction of EU reforms” said Mr Várhelyi at the end of the meeting.
The European Commissioner also returned to the current situation between Serbia and Kosovo, where tensions have not diminished since the death of a Kosovar policeman shot dead by a group of Serbian gunmen on 24 September (see EUROPE 13264/7).
“Our position has been very clear. Firstly, we need a total de-escalation between Belgrade and Pristina. Secondly, the EU dialogue must be resumed and made to work and, within this framework, all the previous agreements, including those reached in Ohrid, must be implemented. Thirdly, all perpetrators must be brought to justice, and not merely brought to justice, justice must be done. The Serbian authorities must therefore cooperate fully with us on this point”, he summarised.
Logically, the issue should be high on the agenda of the next summit in the framework of the Berlin process, to be held in Tirana on 16 October. (Original version in French by Thomas Mangin)