Brussels, 27/02/2003 (Agence Europe) - Olivier Dupuis, elected on the Lista Bonino, states in a press release that, after Croatia's official request for EU membership, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia this week announced it would make a request for membership before the end of the year.
His comment was: "Finally! Something has started to move in the Balkans. Thanks to Croatia, the spell is broken. The spell under which the European Union has managed over the past five years to prevent the Balkan States and the Caucasus States from 'daring' to make a formal request for EU accession is now broken". In his view, there is "no, absolutely no reason for the Balkan or Caucasus countries or Moldova not to appear on the list of candidate countries". He warned: "The taking root of democracy, security and peace in Bosnia, Serbia-Montenegro, Kosovo, Macedonia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia - and hence in Europe - depends on it".