The expansion of the European Union into the Western Balkans has once again become a priority for Brussels, European Council President António Costa said in an interview with Euronews. On Tuesday, he will begin a tour of the region.
Brussels must not lose control of the Western Balkans, a key region for maintaining stability in Europe. This is the conviction of European Council President António Costa, who has announced the relaunch of the EU enlargement process, which has stalled in recent years, partly due to the indecision of the 27 member states.
At the same time, Costa confirmed the main requirement for candidate countries: they must all carry out the necessary reforms to bring themselves into line with EU policy and security standards.
The first stop on the European Council President’s roadmap will be Serbia, a country that has been in political crisis for several months.
On the same day, António Costa will visit Bosnia and Herzegovina.
On Wednesday, May 14, he will be received by the heads of state and government of Montenegro and Kosovo.
The following day, he will travel to North Macedonia, and his last stop will be Albania. There, the President of the European Council will take part in the European Political Community (EPC) summit scheduled for Friday, May 16.
What is the timeline for EU accession?
European institutions have often cited 2030 as a target date for accession to the European Union, particularly for Albania, Montenegro and Serbia. However, Brussels is now only talking about Albania and Montenegro.
“I don’t have a fixed date. Why 2030? And why not before? Accession is a process based on merit. If the countries carry out the reforms, they could even join before 2030,” Costa said, adding “But it is precisely the merits that can change. Albania and Montenegro are clearly more advanced than the other countries.”
Meanwhile, the war in Ukraine has led to a new round of tensions in the Western Balkans, particularly in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo.
The President of the European Council said: “I know of no better incentive to overcome the conflicts that are still open than this perhaps unique opportunity, which is membership of the European Union. It is the best condition to offer the countries of the Western Balkans, an opportunity for prosperity that they would be hard pressed to find elsewhere.”
According to numerous public opinion polls, the majority of Serbs have lost interest in the European Union because of the bloc’s indecision on the issue of enlargement. Costa noted:
“The most important thing is to understand the meaning of the European Union. Last week, we celebrated the 75th anniversary of the Schumann Declaration, the first step towards today’s Union. What really built the EU was the will to overcome the wounds of history.”
