BRUSSELS – Enlargement to the Western Balkans should remain credible and there should be no “plan B” for the region, reads an informal document initiated by Poland, Radio Free Europe finds out.
The so called “non-paper” was authored by the host of this year’s Berlin Process Summit in Poznan, and supported by 13 member states, mostly from Central and Eastern Europe, Al Jazeera Balkans reports.
According to the document, the Council of the EU should “recognize that the enlargement policy is the most successful instrument for promoting EU’s standards and values” during its meeting on 18 June.
EU should also continue to support a clearly defined perspective of membership, which is a mobilising force for the implementation of challenging reforms and resolution of the bilateral disputes remaining in the region.
The main goal of the non-paper was to encourage EU to open accession negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania. However, this decision will seemingly have to wait at least until September, since the German parliament failed to support such a move.
Opening of accession negotiations would have been an important motivational factor for the region, and contribute to its resistance to harmful influences, ensuring that the EU would remain the most important player for regional transformation.
The consensus on this issue appears to be much harder to reach.