TIRANA, July 5 – German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Franà§ois Hollande said Tuesday that the membership perspective of the Western Balkan states remains intact following United Kingdom’s imminent exit from the EU. Addressing the Paris Conference held under the auspices of the “Berlin Process,” Chancellor Merkel said that the EU perspective is still tangible for Western Balkan states however she warned that the speed of the accession process will vary. This means that Western Balkan countries will “integrate into the EU at different stages without a Western Balkans ‘enlargement Big Bang’,” Merkel said at the EU-Western Balkans summit in Paris.
“We are determined to continue the process of enlargement,” she underlined. “The British decision in no way impacts on the engagements taken in respect to the Balkan nations,” French President Franà§ois Hollande added. “They will be respected,” he said.
The Paris Conference, is the third of its kind that aims to connect leaders of Serbia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Kosovo, and Macedonia, with representatives of several EU states – Germany, Austria, France, Italy, Croatia and Slovenia.
Participants in the conference signed an accord to intensify youth exchanges and overcome the legacy of wars and break down ethnic and national barriers. In addition, the conference aimed to bridge the gap between the prohibited EU enlargement and unkept promises. The previous two conferences were held in Berlin and Vienna in 2014 and 2015, respectively.
In the last meeting held in Vienna, leaders of Serbia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Kosovo, and Macedonia, announced historic collective plans to genuinely move forward, together, towards Europe. Participants signed the Connectivity Agenda for a joint European future while EU leaders pledged to build networks and support the process of enlargement with Western Balkans. Furthermore, the EU wants the small states of Western Balkans to get ready for EU accession through billions of Euros in support for the 2014-2020 period. EU Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn said at the summit that the 28-nations block will allocate 96 million Euros for infrastructure projects in Serbia, Albania and Kosovo. He also assured that the EU will approve a 50 million Euros fund for projects related to environmental issues. “This is a testimony of our commitment to allocate 1 billion Euros in funds for Western Balkan countries until 2020,” Hahn said.
Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro and Serbia who are home to an estimated 20 million people are aspiring to join the European Union in the near future. The EU has launched membership talks with Serbia and Montenegro while negotiations are yet to open with Albania and Macedonia. Furthermore, the EU has promised to Bosnia and Kosovo the prospect of membership upon meeting the set criteria. So far, European Union has ruled out enlargement possibilities before 2020 and analysts have warned that Brexit will have an impact in the accession plans of Serbia, Macedonia, Albania, Bosnia and Kosovo.
The warning has been echoed by Balkan leaders who fear not being a priority for the European Union following its divorce with Great Britain. Furthermore, analysts warn that as Russia and China are getting more involved in Western Balkans with their projects of infrastructure, the EU is failing to realize that the familiar Balkans terrain is shifting underneath its feet. This seems to be the reason why Germany is keen to step up its diplomatic role in the EU and push forwards stabilizing the whole Western Balkan region and bringing it into the European Union.
