The European Union is “counting down to the next enlargement” for the first time since 2013, said the President of the European Council, António Costaafter a summit with the leaders of the Western Balkans in which the block has renewed its commitment to speed up the process of accession.
Last month, The Union began to draft the accession treaty for Montenegro, has opened several new chapters in the negotiations with Albaniaand unblocked the process for Ukraine and Moldova. “This shows that reforms and the participation of all social actors bear fruit. And that the European Union is committed to enlargement,” said Costa.
Con half a dozen countries waiting for decadesand fearing the Kremlin’s influence in the region, the EU wants to accelerate the accession process. “The expansion is a geostrategic imperative for us and a long-term investment in our peace, our stability and our security,” said the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.
The German has insisted that this process “it will continue to be based on merit, but it must become more dynamic”. Because for Von der Leyen, “merit-based does not mean slow; merit-based means fair and predictable.” “The future of the Western Balkans is linked to the future of the European Union,” Costa stressed.
A political question
Montenegro will be the 28th Member State of the Union, foreseeably in 2028. The president of the country has said it, Jakov Milatovicand Costa himself. “This goal is realistic and achievable,” said Mlatovic after meeting with his European counterparts, “has the strong support of all our partners.”
However, for the rest, the situation is more complex. Albania has been a candidate country since 2014. Its prime minister, Eddie Ramadoes not usually bite his tongue at these summits. Asked when his country will enter the bloc, Rama told the press: “There are three things that cannot be predicted: God, sex and the EU.”
EU leaders never tire of saying that the accession process is based exclusively on merit. But with decisions that require the unanimous support of the 27 countries of the bloc, The political aspect is undeniable. It happened with North Macedonia and it has happened with Ukraine.
Forced to change name to Greece, now Bulgaria blocks its progress due to a conflict over minorities. “The problems that we artificially stifle now will manifest themselves years later in European coexistence,” warned the Bulgarian president, Rumen Radev, giving an idea of his reluctance about enlargement.
In the case of Ukraine, the Government of the then Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán, had vetoed the opening of negotiations with the country. This week, the new Hungarian leader, Peter Magyar, has reached an agreement on the protection of Hungarian minorities in the country which will foreseeably allow progress in the process.
The Franco-German proposal
To try accelerate the integration of these countries In the European model waiting to be part of the bloc, France and Germany have presented a proposal that would go through progressive integration into the institutions and the single market. An integration, yes, reversible if these countries do not comply with the agreed reforms or take steps back, as is happening for example in Serbia.
“Today is a good day for Europe,” the German chancellor said, Friedrich Merzin a publication on social networks after the summit, in which he assured that his joint proposal with the Frenchman Emmanuel Macron “has received broad approval.” A proposal to “boost” the accession process of the Balkan countries, “through its gradual integration into the single market before accession“he explained.
France and Germany They insist thator seek to replace EU membership, but to give incentives in the negotiation process to the countries to try to speed up the process. This would involve access to the single market or even presence as observers at meetings.
For Mlatovic, “it is a constructive and creative way to bring all candidate countries closer to the final objective”. Costa has assured that the commitment to accelerate the accession process is shared by all leaders, both in the EU and in the Balkans, and has not closed the door to models that simplify them.
Von der Leyen has been somewhat firmer in her defense of the process as it is, but has not ruled out the Franco-German model. “The merit-based process has the support of all member states. That is the basis”the German said, adding that she will analyze the proposal. “The aim of these proposals is to improve the process, which is very welcome,” he said. Rama, of course, has not been so optimistic. For the Albanian Prime Minister the Franco-German proposal “is not enough.”
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