Reuters: Disappointment in the enlargement deep in the Western Balkans, internal EU document says

The widespread perception in the Western Balkans is that the prospect of accession is receding and that European inspirations are lost under a complex set of conditions and procedures,” the internal report said.

The bloc is now sending 650,000 doses of Western-made vaccines to the six Balkan countries, but only after China and Russia distributed millions of their doses in the region.

Monday’s discussion on the Western Balkans was the first time in two years that the Foreign Affairs Council took stock of the Western Balkans.

The foreign ministers decided on the principles of a more active political engagement with the region, while a new meeting on concrete proposals should be held before the summer, said High Representative of the Union Josep Borrell

“Some ministers were complaining because of this (long period without addressing the region). Western Balkan is a big geopolitical program. It is not just about the accession. Accession is part of the solution, but there are many other problems related to the Western Balkans. We have to look at the WB from the geopolitical perspective, and that is what we did today. That’s what we’ll do next week with the leaders”, said Borrell, adding that he had invited regional leaders for a working dinner in Brussels next week, following in the footsteps of his predecessor.