VIENNA – In today’s press conference with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Austria, Beate Meinl-Reisinger, European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos took stock of the state of the enlargement process, with especially critical remarks regarding the situation in Serbia.
Kos criticised the recent statements of Serbian officials, who insulted Members of the European Parliament, and stated that pro-European reforms are the way out of the current crisis.
According to the European Commission, Kos visited Vienna to “reaffirm Austria’s engagement in advancing the EU enlargement agenda and to deepen cooperation with key Austrian stakeholders”. She met with a number of officials of the country.
“This mission underscores the European Commission’s commitment to working closely with Member States to strengthen credibility, foster public trust, and advance EU enlargement in a merit-based and inclusive manner”, the Commission stated.
During the press conference with Minister Meinl-Reisinger, Kos stated that, in the Western Balkans, “we see strong reform wills in Montenegro and Albania, and they are frontrunners to close negotiations in the coming years”.
“And we see that the issue of security has had a strong influence on the whole enlargement process. We see at the moment the fastest pace of the process than at any point in the past 15 years and a new enlargement round is possible before 2030”, Kos said.
She said that Austria has, for a long time, been a political advocate for enlargement, and thanked the country for that.
“But the public support for enlargement (in Austria) is among the lowest in the EU. The Austrians are following the developments in our candidates very closely and critically, and that is good. They are above-average informed. They see that in some countries, for decades, entrenched groups have been in power and are blocking the reforms. It is no wonder that they are often sceptical”, Kos said.
She said she therefore wanted to make the following clear about the rule of law: those who do not deliver in this area will not join the EU.
“If those who have been in power for decades prevent changes and polarise society, they block all chances to advance. Those, like in Albania and Montenegro, who seize the future, win. Those who become stuck in the past, lose”, the Commissioner added.
Regarding the situation in Serbia, Marta Kos said that “we have a problem in Belgrade”.
“People have the right to protest. The heavy violence on the Serbian streets, as well as acts of vandalism, must stop. We expect the police to be restrained and respect the basic rights. The statements of President Vučić and Parliament Speaker Brnabić against the EU will not improve Serbia’s reputation in the EU. When the Members of the European Parliament are called ‘scum’, it shows a questionable understanding of democracy”, Kos said.
She advised the government to focus on EU reforms, which they have promised to her and President von der Leyen only a short time ago.
“Build a judiciary that is independent and able to fight corruption effectively. Ensure that the media can work freely and independently. And a reform of electoral law that guarantees that only the will of the Serbian people decides the majority in parliament”, Kos said.
That is a possible way out of the crisis, she stressed.
“For all our candidate countries goes that fundamental preconditions for membership, especially democracy and rule of law, are not negotiable”, Kos concluded.
