Russia's aggression against Ukraine showed the importance of the Western Balkans for Europe, and the countries of that region have no alternative to membership in the European Union (EU) and NATO, it was assessed at the Balkan Integration Forum (BIF) in Podgorica.
The participants of the panel "The Western Balkans and the Global Crisis: New Storms or Sunny Weather?" agreed that Russia's aggression against Ukraine showed the importance of the Western Balkans for Europe and reactivated the Union enlargement process.
The EU's high representative for the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, Miroslav Lajčak, said that the Western Balkans can progress together, reminding that aggression against Ukraine was needed for the EU to feel its momentum for expansion again.
"The EU realized that it had to get serious, because it saw that it was losing the Balkans, not geographically, but in terms of lifestyle and values, such as the rule of law," said Lajčak.
The EU is now, as he stated, clearly talking about enlargement, and it cannot do that without the Western Balkans. "The European vision for this region is realistic, but it will not be easy."
"The current situation is bad and the region must convince the EU that it will change and that you will have good mutual relations and that you have the ability to be part of the wider European family," said Lajčak, stating that relations between Kosovo and Serbia reflect on the entire region and to regional cooperation.
Recalling that Montenegro has been in negotiations for 12 years, Lajčak said that he believes that closing the chapter should not be a political decision.
"I am in favor of deeper cooperation with countries like Montenegro, which show that they value and share our values," said Lajčak.
He pointed out that there is no alternative for dialogue and normalization, while more tensions and strong rhetoric means less European future.
According to him, the crisis in Ukraine spurred discussions on enlargement, but, he added, every crisis is an opportunity.
"The EU has rediscovered the Western Balkans and now negotiations are coming up, and I want us not to lose the momentum of enlargement. We cannot skip negotiations, but we must not miss this momentum," said Lajčak.
The Vice-President of the Government of Montenegro, Filip Ivanović, agrees that there is a lot of talk about instability and conflict in Europe since the aggression against Ukraine, but he stated that it is necessary to concentrate on the positive things that are happening in Europe.
According to him, there are good signs of regional stabilization and cooperation in the Western Balkans.
"I wouldn't say that all things are bad, but there are also good ones," Ivanović said.
"If we want to have a stable and safe Europe, this can be achieved through unity on the continent, and the continent must be united through EU membership," Ivanovic said.
According to him, such an attitude does not only rely on the political will of the candidate states for membership in the Union, but also includes a new security perspective, especially after the events in Ukraine in 2022.
Ivanović reminded that in the last 12 years of Montenegrin integration there were ups and downs and emphasized that ideas like the EU enlargement have revived again.
"Now we see the Western Balkans, and especially Montenegro, as a region that should be part of the EU and that is doing its job to become part of it," Ivanović said.
Stating that perhaps different political actors and parties in Montenegro see things in different ways, Ivanovic pointed out that the entire political community, including the academic community and the non-governmental sector, sees the EU as a goal.
As he reminded, this was also shown in the example of the law that had to be adopted for IBAR.
"I think this is a strong message to Brussels from Montenegro, that Montenegro is really seriously committed to European integration," Ivanovic said.
He added that Montenegro, as the first country to receive IBAR, can be an example to other candidate countries when they reach that stage.
Italian Ambassador Andreana Marcela emphasized that Europe needs more talk about a united country, apart from enlargement, because, as she stated, the Western Balkans is already part of the European contingent.
Marsela reminded that the period since the Russian aggression on Ukraine is the most difficult period that Europe has been going through since the end of the Second World War, adding that the EU cannot afford to lose the Western Balkans.
"We have to unite the region and connect it with the EU," said Marsela.
She recalled that the adoption of the positive Report on the Fulfillment of Interim Benchmarks (IBAR) is a key moment for Podgorica, stating that, despite the stagnation in integration in previous years, Montenegro is still a leader in EU accession.
"The adoption of IBAR is a signal for the entire Western Balkans, it showed that the enlargement process is still alive," said Marsela. Since the Russian aggression against Ukraine, as she added, the member states of the Union, even those that previously hesitated in the process of enlargement of the Union, have discovered the geopolitical significance of enlargement.
"The most important thing is that Montenegro does not lose momentum and that the institutions continue to work together focused on the reform agenda," said Marcela.
The Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, agrees that there is no alternative to the European path for the Western Balkans.
"I believe that our generation cannot come up with a better project, but we need a merit-based process," Kurti emphasized, adding that everyone should adhere to fundamental European values.
"I don't see a better way to find a common position - the rule of law, democracy, human rights and political pluralism," said Kurti.
Commenting on the tensions that exist in the relations between Kosovo and Serbia, Kurti emphasized that Kosovo is a democratic country where not only Albanians live and pointed out that recently there has been a lot of misinformation in the media regarding the events in Kosovo, but also that a hybrid war is being waged in order to Kosovo was destabilized.
He said that the aggression against Ukraine is a call for Western Balakan and the Union, because, as he recalled, after the peace and economic prosperity after the Second World War, it seemed that the problems were far from Europe.
Kurti said that Kosovo wants dialogue and finding a solution with Serbia, but he emphasized that it is difficult to normalize relations when Serbia "has a strategy to maintain tensions in Kosovo and divide BiH".
"The lesson must be learned", said Kurti, stating that the EU must also reconsider its attitude towards Serbia.
According to him, Serbia is a mirror of Russia's autocratic regime, and the EU continued contacts with Serbia and did not condition them on democratic reforms.
"Serbia is not only between East and West, but wants to be the anchor of the influence of Russia and China in Southeast Europe", said Kurti, adding that the Serbian authorities do not see the EU as a family of common values, but as "a bank to finance their projects".
Recalling that the status of Kosovo was discussed earlier, but not Serbia, Kurti assessed that Europe now needs to see what the status is for Serbia, "because it does not know where it starts and where it ends, and because of that there is instability".
"The actions that Serbia is taking show that it is not committed to a peaceful existence and good neighborly relations," said Kurti, adding that if these ambitions are not checked, they will continue to grow and will follow the logic that led to the aggression against Ukraine.
As he stated, it is necessary for Serbia to normalize. "We want Serbia to understand that the era of territorial expansion is over."
As he reiterated, Kosovo is committed to good regional relations, mutual respect for territorial integrity with its neighbors, freedom, democracy and the rule of law.
"Kosovo has no internal sources of destabilization that it cannot control", emphasized Kurti, pointing to the existence of a hybrid war which, as he stated, is being waged through certain media and church organizations.
He said that Kosovo is a strong country and that must be accepted.
"It is difficult to normalize relations with someone who does not accept the facts and with whom you do not share the same values," Kurti said, adding that agreements should be respected and dialogue should be held.
According to him, the EU and the international community must reassess their relationship with the Western Balkans, and especially with Serbia. "Because Serbia is pulling back the entire region of the Western Balkans".
"Meddling in other people's affairs must be condemned," emphasized Kurti.
Member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) Željko Komšić pointed out that in the Western Balkans and in BiH it is important to get out of the vortex of ethnic conflicts which, as he reminded, always results in what happened in the region in the nineties.
Komšić emphasized that EU officials should not "sell Europe" to candidates for membership, because Bosnia and Herzegovina, like other countries in the region, want Europe and want membership in the Union, so, as he explained, it is necessary to show how to achieve this.
"Let's see how we're going to get on that EU train, no one has precise instructions for that," said Komšić.
According to him, if the EU wants to help the Western Balkans, it needs to give a clear path "on which we should move".
"Let's not wait for a new war in Europe, so that a political decision is made to formally become part of the EU," said Komšić, stressing that the current moment in enlargement is not happening because the candidate states achieved a great result, but because the aggression on Ukraine led Europe to a political decision.
As Komšić emphasized, there is no better path and alternative for the Western Balkans than EU integration and NATO membership.
"I hope that the EU will come out of this moment where it is searching for itself and return to what the founders of the Union had in mind when they formed the first community, that is, that they will return to the fundamental values that make us want to be part of that EU," he said. Komšić.
Tonino Picula, a member of the European Parliament from Croatia, said that it is not easy to make political forecasts for the EU, stating that at the moment it is quite unclear when new states will join the Union.
According to him, the circumstances in the world are dramatic, and the frequent conclusion is that the year 2024 is crucial for the dynamics of all political processes, including EU enlargement.
Picula pointed to the optimistic attitude that the EU has always developed during crises, but he also stated that the EU is a community of states, not a joint state, which, he believes, complicates the ongoing processes.
He reminded that 11 years have passed since the last expansion, stating that there has never been such a pause in expansion.
"Many countries are waiting to enter the EU and the question arises when that waiting room will start to empty, in favor of the candidate countries, but also the EU," Picula said, adding that he is a moderate optimist when it comes to EU enlargement.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Slovenia, Tanja Fajon, stressed that peace and stability should no longer be taken "for granted".
She reminded that, after several years of stagnation, enlargement is at the top of the EU agenda.
Fajon said that by 2030, according to the plans, the EU should be ready for enlargement.
"The Western Balkans is on the threshold of integration, the time to act is now, we must seize the opportunity to speed up the enlargement process," said Fajon.
As she added, it will require a lot of work and difficult choices and it will not be easy, "but I believe that the countries of the region have the strength to overcome problems".
She reiterated that Slovenia will firmly support the countries of the Western Balkans in the integration process.
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