The Albanian Prime Minister, Edi Rama, said, on Thursday 15 February at the launch of the European Economic and Social Committee’s (EESC) initiative to invite civil society representatives from the EU candidate countries to participate in the EESC’s work, that “it is now time for the EU to realise that the candidate countries from the Western Balkans are in a situation where they deserve to be embraced and brought closer”.
According to Mr Rama, this type of rapprochement between the Western Balkan states and the EU, which does not “necessarily” imply “being members with full rights”, is “the only way to soothe all spirits and inject a very concrete energy”.
The Albanian Prime Minister also said that this kind of initiative, aimed at making progress towards accession through gradual integration into the work of the EU, “should also be seen in the European Parliament, the European Commission and the European Council”.
“We cannot keep candidate countries in the waiting room any longer. We need to start working together now, exchanging views, building connections and fostering a strong and healthy civil society”, commented the Austrian President of the EESC, Oliver Röpke.
The Prime Minister of Montenegro, Milojko Spajić, who was also present at the event, claimed that this kind of initiative was not a “substitute for membership”, preferring to see it as “a way of preparing both the countries of the Western Balkan Region and the EU for integration”.
The initiative launched by the EESC provides for some 131 ‘enlargement candidate members’ to take part in the EESC’s work. They will participate in the Committee’s consultative work and take part in the process of drawing up certain opinions, in study groups, section meetings and certain EESC plenary sessions.
Work will begin in April 2024, followed by a plenary session dedicated to the theme of enlargement in September. The overall project led by the EESC will be assessed in December 2024. (Original version in French by Thomas Mangin)