At the Foreign Affairs Council (see other news), the European ministers also had the opportunity to exchange views on the situation in the Western Balkans and the process of rapprochement with the EU.
As planned, the discussions focused on common foreign and security policy challenges for the coming years. Alignment with the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) “is one of the conditions” for rapprochement, according to Josep Borrell, the High Representative for Foreign Affairs.
He stressed the need for Member States and candidate countries “to be aligned with the basic principles” of CSDP. Asked about Serbia, which still does not wish to align itself with the Common Security Policy, he said that “the road to the EU starts with alignment, and Serbia knows that”.
“Maintaining links with Putin’s regime is not compatible with the prospect of a European future”, he added, referring to Serbia’s position and its refusal to implement US and EU sanctions against Russia (see EUROPE 13288/2). (Original version in French by Isalia Stieffatre)