TIRANA – Knut Fleckenstein, member of the European Parliament from Germany, also EP rapporteur on Albania, has affirmed his strong support for the EU enlargement policy, ATA news agency reported.
In a lengthy article on the importance of maintaining political commitment to the EU enlargement process, Fleckenstein emphasizes that the EU needs an active enlargement strategy, including the accession process in the Western Balkans.
“Without an ambitious and effective enlargement policy, the EU will not be able to maintain its influence over the democratisation and stabilisation process,” MEP Fleckenstein wrote on his article titled ‘Why enlargement still matters’, urging Western Balkan countries to keep the reform momentum if they want to join the EU.
“Western Balkan countries should continue their social and economic progress with the EU support, with Albania being a clear example. The Western Balkans will need additional support in order to maintain the reform momentum over the coming years. Albania is an example of a candidate country where the EU has accepted to give substantial support to bringing about a comprehensive judiciary reform. It is up to the candidate countries to continue implementing their ambitious reform packages and not to lose track of their objective – EU membership,” Fleckenstein noted.
(Full article written by Knut Fleckenstein is available at: https://www.neweurope.eu/article/enlargement-still-matters/)