A number of leaders and members of government from the countries of the Western Balkans were in Brussels on Thursday 5 December for a forum organised by the think-tank ‘Friends of Europe’. The meeting highlighted contrasting perspectives on enlargement.
While the representatives of the Western Balkans are advocating rapid accession in order to strengthen European cohesion, the EU insists on a cautious and meritocratic approach to the political, economic and institutional challenges.
The new Commissioner in charge of the dossier, Marta Kos, gave a brief introductory speech, her first since taking office.
According to the Slovenian, while enlargement is one of the Union’s priorities today, it is important not to lose sight of the fact that “the unity advocated within the EU must also be reflected within the Western Balkans, which is key to regional stability”.
While Jakov Milatović, the President of Montenegro, reiterated his country’s ambitions to become the 28th member of the EU by 2028, Ana Brnabić, the President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, insisted on the need to avoid a policy of rivalry.
“We need to support each other in the accession process; it would be harmful to project the image of a country that is in the vanguard and one that is lagging behind”, she argued.
Serbia has recently been criticised by the EU for its rapprochement with Vladimir Putin’s Russia, but could nevertheless see the opening of the third negotiating cluster by 2025 (see EUROPE 13531/4).
However, the majority of speakers agreed on the internal priorities of each country: strengthening national institutions, finalising judicial reform and eradicating corruption.
Commission representatives continue to insist on the importance of maturing political cooperation before enlargement in order to avoid blockages in decision-making within the institutions.
“Enlargement must remain based on the merits and concrete progress of the candidates, and not on simultaneous mass integration, which would be unrealistic”, we believe.
Here again, the need for the candidate countries to align their foreign and security policies with those of the EU was presented as a sine qua non for accession.
The next summit between the Member States and the Western Balkans will take place on 18 December. (Original version in French by Isalia Stieffatre)