EU membership for the countries of the Western Balkans

President of the European Commission

12 Mar 2024 1 5

Hamza Karčić

Inserted 2 years ago

“Bosnia also needs a strong reaffirmation of its European future - one that puts it clearly on a path towards EU membership. Since the country applied for EU membership in 2016, there has been no momentum-generating EU decision. Now is the time for the EU to grant Bosnia a candidate status. Failure to act early and decisively could invite pernicious actors to escalate their destabilising politics. If Bosnia is pushed over the edge, it will not be only its people that will suffer the consequences, but the whole of Europe.”

Associate professor at the Faculty of Political Science at the University of Sarajevo

08 Nov 2021 5 6

Max Brändle

Inserted 2 years ago

“Germany, as one of the strongest countries of the EU, will continue to be an actor in the process of the Western Balkans' accession to the Union and that it will contribute to the enlargement. This is particularly true for Serbia. Regardless of the relationship of trust between Angela Merkel and Aleksandar Vučić, it is in Germany's interest to be supported and surrounded by friends in the EU member states. Germany has an interest for Serbia to make progress on this path through the opening of funds, but it is clear that criteria such as democracy and the rule of law will be met.”

Balkaneu

Representative of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation in Serbia

08 Oct 2021 9 4

Sebastian Kurz

Inserted 2 years ago

“If the European Union does not offer this region [Western Balkans] a real perspective, we have to be aware that other superpowers … will play a bigger role there.”

Austrian Chancellor

06 Oct 2021 (approx) 3 6

Arturs Krisjanis Karins

Inserted 2 years ago

“Either Europe extends the hand and pulls these [Western Balkan] countries toward us, or someone else will extend a hand and pull these countries in a different direction.”

Prime Minister of Latvia

06 Oct 2021 (approx) 3 6

Janez Janša

Inserted 2 years ago

“If the EU doesn't expand, others will expand.”

Rferl

Prime Minister of Slovenia

06 Oct 2021 2 5

Ardian Hackaj

Inserted 2 years ago

“Angela Merkel has shown great commitment to the region's [Western Balkans] progress in reforms and membership on the road to the EU. She has also paid great attention to civil society representatives.”

Executive Director of the Center for Cooperation and Development (CDI) in Tirana

16 Sep 2021 4 4

Government of Montenegro

Inserted 2 years ago

“On that occasion, Chancellor Merkel especially pointed out that Montenegro is the most advanced country - a candidate for membership in the European Union, emphasizing the importance of the idea of a common regional economic market, which, according to her, can benefit all Western Balkan countries. At the working lunch, the need to continue working within the Berlin Process in the coming years, as one of the most important diplomatic initiatives since 2014, whose goal is the enlargement of the European Union, was additionally emphasized.”

Balkaneu

Statement by the Government of Montenegro

14 Sep 2021 6 7

Edi Rama

Inserted 2 years ago

“We prepared for the first big wedding with all the decorations. The European Commission said that we are ready for the integration process … First wedding, the bride did not come; the second wedding, the bride did not come. We are not preparing any third wedding. We are hostages of EU nationalisms. The path of Western Balkan integration is dependent more and more on EU nationalisms. When I talk about EU nationalisms, I am talking about the nationalisms of powerful countries holding hostage leaders who are not yet nationalists. In the Balkans, when we copy, we go further than the original. The Bulgarian attitude is a result of what Bulgaria has learned within the EU from the great ones. Bulgaria has learned that it can use local politics to block others.”

Albanian Prime Minister

15 Jul 2021 7 4

Corina Stratulat

Inserted 2 years ago

“All this makes what happens with the enlargement depends on the internal politics of Member states. When conditionality is undermined, the credibility is undermined. Unfortunately, I am tempted to say that we are about to see more of the same. Change would also require the better toolkit when it comes to offering solutions to the detected problems.”

Senior Policy Analyst with the European Policy Centre and a member of BiEPAG

01 Jul 2021 2 3

Edward Joseph

Inserted 2 years ago

“The EU cannot be the world leader without taking the Balkans seriously. And the EU is not being taken seriously. I am saying this with sadness as an American, because the EU is our ally. If the EU aspires for strategic autonomy from the US, it needs to solve the issue of Balkans first.”

Professor at the Johns Hopkins Institute

01 Jul 2021 6 4

Tanja Fajon

Inserted 2 years ago

“To be frank, the region is in a bad condition, the enlargement is in a bad condition, and the EU is in a bad condition. A lot of selfishness, a lot of egoism in the past years, as well as dangerous nationalism. For a country - Bulgaria - to jeopardize another country - this is selfish and dangerous.”

Slovenian politician and Member of the European Parliament

01 Jul 2021 3 5

Nikola Dimitrov

Inserted 2 years ago

“This is great timing for this topic and our gathering. However, we have to be honest and open – it is the worst time possible. For the second time, Bulgaria vetoed the accession talks with North Macedonia and Albania. It has been two decades since we started the talks with the EU. We do not know whether to expect it anymore. If the EU cannot make a difference in the region, which is not even its backyard, but its courtyard, it is telling about the problem the EU faces. The long-term consequence will be the weakening of those who believe in the transformative process of the enlargement and in European values.”

Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration of North Macedonia

01 Jul 2021 4 6

David Sassoli

Inserted 2 years ago

“Enlargement can bring immense benefits both to the region [Western Balkan states] and to Europe as a whole, helping to secure a stable, prosperous and peaceful continent. Reforms still need to be completed in every single one of these countries.”

Rferl

President of the European Parliament

06 Jun 2021 4 3

Michael Roth

Inserted 2 years ago

“Germany supports EU Presidency's objective to hold first accession conferences with both Albania and North Macedonia in June. Both countries have delivered on required reforms – now EU has to deliver, too. Further delay undermines EU credibility, stability in the region.”

Minister of State for Europe at the German Federal Foreign Office

07 May 2021 4 6

Carl Bildt

Inserted 2 years ago

“If Plan A [EU membership for Balkan states] does not work, which lost credibility [for the EU], you have Plan B, the non-papers are on the table. Everyone is saying they don't agree with the papers but everyone who has been dealing with the Balkans knows that there is quite a number of people around these papers. It is not that Russia, Turkey and others are strong actors in the Balkans but if the EU becomes weaker, others can become stronger by definition without being particularly strong.”

Former UN Special Envoy to the Balkans

04 May 2021 5 2

Miroslav Lajčák

Inserted 2 years ago

“The idea of redrawing borders is not new. It has been here for many years but it was brought to the forefront now. I deeply disagree with these ideas. I consider them extremely dangerous and a war-provoking idea. Unfortunately, the vision of EU membership for the Western Balkans has become more blurred more distant and therefore also less motivated. When we created a void in the region, others are coming with other ideas. If we are not serious with Plan A [EU membership for Balkan states], people would come with a Plan B and this is exactly what this first paper is about.”

European Union's special envoy to Serbia-Kosovo talks

04 May 2021 4 6

Florian Bieber

Inserted 3 years ago

“While it is uncertain that North Macedonia and Albania will progress this year, I would think the odds are good. After Bulgarian elections (scheduled for March) there will be a chance to find a face-saving way out for Bulgaria. However, if that opportunity is missed, the risk will be that the veto 'settles in' and becomes harder to challenge in the subsequent period.”

Professor at the University of Graz and member of the Balkans in Europe Policy Advisory Group (BiEPAG)

22 Jan 2021 5 6

Marika Djolai

Inserted 3 years ago

“There are many internal issues, from battling the coronavirus pandemic, to rise of populism, to the rebellion of individual member states and to ultimately confusion about when the EU can join forces and think strategically about Europe as a whole. The EU accession process has become hostage to the crisis of individual states. EU does not have a mechanism to deal with internal issues, because the consensus of all 27 member states is needed for such decisions, such as confirming the negotiations framework for the two countries. So if any problem arises, there are no inside mechanisms, except diplomacy and background diplomacy, to unblock such problems. It also shows that the accession process itself is not separated from bilateral problems that maybe exist between two countries, and because not separated, that is one of the biggest issues. Any of these problems can affect and is affecting the EU’s accession process at any point for candidate countries.”

Senior Researcher and Head of Conflict and Security Cluster at the European Centre for Minority Issues

21 Dec 2020 3 3

Viola von Cramon-Taubadel

Inserted 3 years ago

“The delay with North Macedonia is rather frustrating, and that is understandable. We have seen that Kosovo and Albania are the highest supporters of the integration process, even after we disappointed them so many times. If you have a country that is committed, the EU should do the same. People in Kosovo are still waiting for visa liberalisation. The EU is not delivering.”