LJUBLJANA – The European Union should be more open to unstable countries in the Balkans, so that they don’t fall under a greater influence of Russia, writes in yesterday’s edition of the Ljubljana newspapers “Delo”, which assesses that Serbia’s policy of apparent maintaining of balance between EU and Russia “does not guarantee stability”.
The paper estimates that the European perspective of the countries in the region that have not yet joined the EU should be more defined.
“Statement by the President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker that in the next five years there will be no enlargement of the EU is reflected in the re-awakening of the warlike rhetoric of the 90s, as well as declining interest in joining the EU, both among political elites and ordinary citizens”, estimates the leading Slovenian daily, referring to the Slovenian analysts.
“Delo” states that “the Western Balkans should be given more attention if Europe does not want for this region to fall under a greater influence of Russia” and adds that “attention should be directed towards BiH and the Serbian entity in that country, as well as towards Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia, where Russian influence is already present”.
“The Balkans will not be on the list of priorities for (the newly elected President of the United States) Donald Trump, which may be good for (Russian President Vladimir) Putin, but not for Serbia where the policy of maintaining the balance between the EU and Russia does not guarantee stability”, “Delo” states.
Slovenian magazine estimates that Russia in the Balkans has its own interests and “increases its influence in the Balkan nations, which does not automatically mean that this is a threat to the US and European countries”.
The actions of the EU in the Balkans in the last 25 years have been aligned with the strategy of NATO and the United States, but the decline in American power due to the economic crisis caused the problems in the European Union and its relations with the Balkan countries, they asses.