EU enlargement door opens for Western Balkans

The EU Commission set out a new strategy for the Western Balkans on Tuesday, spelling out priorities and areas for closer cooperation and areas for reform with a view to “a credible enlargement perspective”.

The Commission confirmed the European future of the region as a geostrategic investment in a stable, strong and united Europe based on common values. It spelled out the priorities and areas of joint reinforced cooperation, addressing the specific challenges the Western Balkans face, in particular the need for fundamental reforms and good neighbourly relations.

It made clear that any credible enlargement perspective “requires sustained efforts and irreversible reforms” and that progress along the European path will be “an objective and merit-based process which depends on the concrete results achieved by each individual country”.

“The Western Balkans are part of Europe: we share the same history, the same geography, the same cultural heritage and the same opportunities and challenges today and in the future,” said EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini: “We have a common interest in working more and more closely together to guarantee to our people economic and social development and security. This strategy shows the path that we have ahead of us: for all our six partners to overcome once and for all the past, for all of us together to make the process of the Western Balkans towards the European Union irreversible and keep reuniting the Continent. This strategy gives all of us a shared, clear, unequivocal, credible and concrete perspective for each and every one of our six partners’ EU integration. The next months will be not only intense but also crucial to make sure that this historic and unique opportunity is seized.”

In order to meet the EU membership criteria and in their own interest, the Commission says the Western Balkans need to implement comprehensive reforms in crucial areas. The rule of law, fundamental rights and governance must be strengthened significantly. Judicial reforms, the fight against corruption and organised crime and public administration reform need to deliver real results and the functioning of democratic institutions need to be seriously enhanced. Economic reforms must be pursued with vigour so that structural weaknesses, low competitiveness and high unemployment rates are addressed.

All countries must unequivocally commit, in both word and deed, to overcome the legacy of the past, by achieving reconciliation and solving open issues, in particular border disputes, well before accession to the European Union. The Commission says there needs to be a comprehensive, legally-binding normalisation agreement between Serbia and Kosovo so that they can advance on their respective European paths.

The EU is the most important donor and investor in the region as well as political partner of the Western Balkans. It is also the Western Balkans’ largest trading partner with an annual total trade volume of €43bn (2016).

In its strategy, the Commission set out six flagship initiatives to strengthen cooperation in a number of areas. They target areas of common interest: rule of law, security and migration, socio-economic development, transport and energy connectivity, digital agenda, reconciliation and good neighbourly relations. Concrete actions in these areas are foreseen between 2018 and 2020.

To support the initiative, the Commission is proposing to gradually increase funding under the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance until 2020 in so far as reallocations within the existing envelope allow. In 2018 alone, €1.07bn of pre-accession assistance for the Western Balkans is already foreseen, on top of almost €9bn from the 2007-2017 period.

The Strategy explains the steps that need to be taken by Montenegro and Serbia to complete the accession process in a 2025 perspective, while others could catch up – Montenegro and Serbia are the only two countries with which accession talks are already under way. This perspective will ultimately depend on strong political will, the delivery of real and sustained reforms and definitive solutions to disputes with neighbours.

The Commission assesses all the countries on the basis of their own merits and at the speed at which they achieve progress. It says Albania and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia are making significant progress on their European path and the Commission is ready to prepare recommendations to open accession negotiations, on the basis of fulfilled conditions.

It will start preparing an Opinion on Bosnia and Herzegovina’s membership application following receipt of comprehensive and complete answers to its questionnaire. It says that “with sustained effort and engagement”, Bosnia and Herzegovina could become a candidate for accession.

Kosovo has an opportunity for sustainable progress through implementation of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement and to advance on its European path once objective circumstances allow.

The Commission acknowledges that much work lies ahead for the countries concerned to be in a position to meet the conditions and criteria for EU membership.

It says “special arrangements” must be put in place to ensure that future EU member states are not in a position to block the accession of other Western Balkans candidates.