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Op-Ed: The French saved Europe – to strengthen it, bring the focus back to the Balkans

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6 mins read
9 years ago
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If France was the battleground that saved Europe’s soul, the Western Balkans is where the continent can save its united future in peace and stability. By ANDI BALLA If 2017 was the make-or-break year for a united Europe, then the French presidential election marked the decisive moment on whether a trend of nationalism and populism that swiped around the world in 2016 would be able to create a large enough tsunami to wipe away the European Union. Luckily, French voters decided that an anti-establishment vote need not be an anti-EU vote, saving not only the European Union in the process,…

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Story Highlights

  • The good news this month is that the European Union is here to stay and can only grow stronger and better from this point. For the Western Balkans that is paramount. The next should be an immediate and strong focus by the European Union on the Western Balkans, tied to a firm admission date promise for its members. Delaying endlessly is not an option.

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