Rama asks EU to understand integration ‘patience fatigue’

BRUSSELS, Dec. 10 – Prime Minister Edi Rama has told a summit on EU integration that the region is running short on patience over the amount of time the countries are taking to move toward EU membership.
“The EU and Western Balkans need each other more than ever,” Rama said. “We understand the EU’s enlargement fatigue, but in turn the EU needs to understand our patience fatigue. We are facing huge challenges in our countries but, for the first time, there is a feeling that we are facing them together.”
The discussion at Friends of Europe’s 12th annual Balkans Summit addressed how and to what degree the EU and Western Balkan countries need to remain focused on enlargement perspectives, particularly in light of new European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker’s recent statement that there will be no further EU enlargement over the next five years.
Christian Danielsson, European Commission Director General for Enlargement, said it is important to remain focused on what the enlargement process is all about.
“The driving force for accession is the economy, specifically economic development, potential growth, and government reforms. The assessment across the board is that, though the process is difficult, the Western Balkan countries are moving forward,” he said.