Former Czech leader Vaclav Klaus recommended the countries of the Western Balkans not to rush to the EU, but to organize their political, economic and social development before joining.
"Balkan leaders could make a huge mistake by trying to enter the EU as soon as possible. That would be a tragic mistake and I would not advise anyone to make it," Klaus said in an interview with Macedonian media outlets Sitel and Večer.
According to him, it is in the interests of the Balkan countries to develop politically, economically and socially so that they are ready to enter the EU under good conditions.
"But sudden entry into the EU is a wrong idea... and I really don't advise you to do that," said Klaus, who is on a multi-day visit to Macedonia.
When asked how he sees the future of the Balkans, Klaus replied that he believes that the EU is neither interested nor capable of accepting new members at this time.
"The Czech Republic constantly supports the Balkan countries on the way to the EU, but as an observer, I have to notice, although I am not happy about it, that there is no serious debate about EU enlargement," he said.
Klaus said he is not even convinced that the EU in its current form will even exist in the future as Europe is changing dramatically for the worse.
The former president and prime minister of the Czech Republic assessed that the Union suffers from a lack of democracy and that citizens do not have the opportunity to influence the decisions made in Brussels.
"A lot of decisions and responsibilities should be returned to European countries, which should be left to decide for themselves," he said.
Klaus also expressed skepticism about the survival of the euro as a common currency, and called the EU leadership, including High Representative for Foreign Affairs Catherine Ashton and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, "European bureaucrats" with a weak sense of democracy.
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