Seven EU Member States co-signed a letter addressed to the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Kaja Kallas, and the European Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos, at the Foreign Affairs Council on Monday 16 December.
The letter, signed by Austria, Greece, Italy, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Slovakia and Croatia, calls for a more dynamic and efficient approach to the negotiations on enlargement to include the countries of the Western Balkans.
The accession of the Balkan countries would be, according to the seven signatory countries, “the geostrategic litmus test for the European Union”. “Only by integrating this region into our EU family can we secure our continent’s stability and prosperity”, they write.
The seven Member States believe that the “time has come for decisive progress” and say they are ready to continue “to assist the region in achieving the next substantial steps on their EU accession path”.
“In this respect, we call for a clear agenda and timeline to fully implement the Growth Plan and advance gradual integration into the Single Market as well as into other EU policies”, they explain.
In their view, the time has never been better, and the European Union must take advantage of the current momentum around the prospect of enlargement to achieve its “strategic goals”.
The seven Member States also propose to increase the EU’s presence and visibility in the Western Balkans through more frequent ministerial visits, and to reflect the need for enlargement in the EU’s post-2027 Multiannual Financial Framework, “such as through focusing on a more effective and performance-based pre-accession instrument”.
According to several sources, the letter was well received by the other Member States and the Commission. However, the EU27 still have to agree on specific conclusions on enlargement at the General Affairs Council on Tuesday 17 December (see EUROPE 13546/3).
See the letter: https://aeur.eu/f/etx (Original version in French by Isalia Stieffatre)