TIRANA, Feb. 7 – The EU’s executive arm has released a much-touted new strategy for enlargement in the Western Balkans, setting goals and repeating the old open-door policies, but leaving the timeline for Albania’s membership uncertain and excluding the country from the next enlargement wave in seven years.
The European Commission’s expansion strategy for Western Balkans highlighted this week the countries’ duties, such as long-lasting rule of law establishment and resolution of open bilateral issues, as well as the increasing EU engagement in supporting Western Balkan countries in their integration path.
The document was published by EU’s foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, and its enlargement commissioner, Johannes Hahn, in the context of offering a strategy that will speed-up the region’s integration process.
“This strategy offers concrete and clear perspective for European integration for each one of our six partners, based on their progress merits, which are very well-known,” Mogherini said.
For Serbia and Montenegro — the only two countries which have already opened membership negotiations — the strategy offers concrete steps for membership in 2025, like a strong political will, stable and lasting reforms and final solution of issues with neighboring countries.
However, the document read, all Western Balkan countries can make progress in their European path, as the EC objectively values their merits and improvement speed.
For Albania and Macedonia, the EC said they are making visible progress in their EU integration and that, in turn, the commission is ready to prepare recommendations for negotiation talks based on the fulfilled negotiated conditions.
Integration experts in the country have seen the strategic document as a sign of EU’s renewed interest in the region and a chance that shouldn’t be missed, especially on Albania’s side, to start the negotiation process.
“We don’t get any favors in the duties we have to fulfill. But on the other hand, it is important the EU has awoken from some sort of sleep. They have understood investing in expanding the EU through the Western Balkans is a security issue of Europe itself, it’s not foreign policy, it’s internal policy that will serve stability and avoidance of all influences present in the region,” Majlinda Bregu, former Minister of Integration, told the Voice of America.
Other experts, such as Afrim Krasniqi, head of Institute for Political Studies, view the expansion strategy as a response to geopolitical tendencies in the region.
“It is more a political declaration that refers to Russia or other powers in the region, and that wishes to offer the younger generation, which is disappointed from the lack of perspective, some food for thought,” Krasniqi said.
Concerning Kosovo, the document highlights the possibility for stable advancement in its European path through the implementation of the Stabilization-Association Agreement and creation of objective circumstances.
Hahn added, however, that no Western Balkan countries will become members without first solving respective bilateral issues.
“In this context, I’d say this should serve as motivation for Kosovo to help foster the positive results of negotiations eased by Mrs. Mogherini. It is not just in Serbia’s interest, but also in Kosovo’s interest, to find a positive solution that will open its road towards the EU,” Hahn said.
Though the document recognizes the improvements made through the years, it still sees all-inclusive reforms that will strengthen democracy as necessary, especially in fields such as the rule of law, security and immigration issues, transport and energy connection and regional conflict resolution.
As for the EU’s duties, the document foresees the need for specific strategies to ensure future member states won’t be able to block other Western Balkan states from becoming members.
The EU will publish the Western Balkans progress report in April, while the Western Balkans summit will be hosted in Sofia in May. The expansion strategies will then be discussed in June, during the EU summit and in July the London Summit of the Berlin Process will be hosted in the UK.
All these developments fit the wider context of rebuilding the EU through the Balkan region as it faces new challenges, such as the Russian influence, the immigration crisis, Turkey’s increasing slip to authoritarianism and Brexit.
