EU leaders are expected to reaffirm the bloc’s commitment to the stalled enlargement process for six Western Balkans states without providing a concrete timeline at a summit in Slovenia on October 6.
The European Commission has repeatedly said the future of the six countries lies in the 27-member bloc. But divisions among EU states about taking in new members and the slow pace of reform in the six hopefuls has put enlargement on ice for years.
Western Balkan countries are at different stages of integrating with the bloc.
Montenegro and Serbia are the most advanced, having opened accession negotiations and chapters. Albania and North Macedonia are awaiting the official opening of accession talks, while Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo are potential candidate countries.
There are few illusions about the hurdles to bring the Western Balkans in to the European Union.
The EU expects stringent reforms to bring rule of law, anti-corruption, organized crime fighting, functioning democratic institutions, and freedom of the media into line with the bloc’s standards. Meanwhile, disputes between Serbia and Kosovo have only raised questions about their commitment and qualifications to join the bloc.
At the same time, several EU members led by France have held up the process out of concern about further expanding the bloc with less-developed states with weak institutions.
The club brought in 13 countries since 2004, most of them less-wealthy former communist states, causing expansion fatigue among some members. Croatia was the last nation to join the EU when its accession was completed in 2013.
More recently EU member Bulgaria has blocked North Macedonia opening accession talks because of a dispute over language and national identity. EU expansion has also been sidelined by crises like the Greek financial crisis, the 2015 refugee crisis, and Brexit.
States like Germany and Austria worry that failing to live up to EU commitments to move on with accession could push the Western Balkans states into the arms of other international players, as Russia and China seek to expand their influence in the region.
The EU “must send out a clear message that accession is an achievable goal for the Western Balkans,” German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on October 5 ahead of the summit, calling for accession negotiations to be opened with Albania and North Macedonia.
Slovenia’s Prime Minister Janez Jansa, the summit host, said EU enlargement is “strategic” for the bloc.
“If the EU doesn’t expand, others will expand,” he told German broadcaster ARD, referring to Russia and China.
In an interview with RFE/RL last month, Gabriel Escobar, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State overseeing U.S policy toward the Western Balkans, said the United States would make a renewed push help the countries of the region achieve EU integration.
On the eve of the EU-Western Balkans summit, EU leaders gathered at Brdo Castle in Slovenia for a dinner where they were to discuss U.S.-EU relations, China, and the situation in Afghanistan following the Taliban’s takeover of the country in August.
“It will be the occasion to address the EU’s role on the international stage — especially after the latest geopolitical developments in Afghanistan, in the Indo-Pacific, also our relations with China,” EU Council chief Charles Michel said at the start of the sit-down.
With reporting by AFP, ARD, dpa, AP, and Reuters
