Nine EU members wrote to Borel: It is high time for a strategic view of the Western Balkans

The head of diplomacy of the European Union (EU), Josep Borrell, was invited by nine EU member states to lead a strategic discussion on the countries of the Western Balkans and their perspectives at the meeting of foreign affairs ministers in April, according to a letter that was seen by the EURACTIV portal.

"We believe that it is high time for a strategic view of the Western Balkans," wrote the foreign ministers of Austria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia.

In a letter to Borel dated March 5, the ministers claim that "much has changed" since the last enlargement discussion in August 2019, especially that "there has been a dynamic internal political development in the countries of the region".

The EU enlargement process reportedly gained new momentum in the spring of 2020, when North Macedonia and Albania received the green light from EU ministers to begin accession negotiations later that year.

However, the process hit another "stumbling block" when Bulgaria blocked North Macedonia in the fall due to disagreements over history and language.

Bulgaria's veto also harmed Albania because EU members view the accession of Skopje and Tirana "as a package".

The lack of concrete progress "plays into the hands" of Western European countries, especially France, whose public opinion has become skeptical of EU enlargement, especially in light of France's upcoming EU presidency in the first half of 2022.

Although the EU is the largest donor and trade partner of the Western Balkans, efforts to bring the region closer to the EU have been halted due to the reforms required by the EU and the reluctance of the countries in the region to implement them.

"The pandemic has emphasized existing trends, including geopolitical implications. Other actors are ready to enter regional affairs, often to our detriment," the ministers wrote in relation to the belated and highly criticized actions of the EU in the region at various stages of the health crisis due to covid-19. .

"While the EU mobilizes large sums to support the region, other actors present their aid much more effectively and thus undermine our reliability, credibility and the perception of our solidarity," the nine signatories stated in the letter.

In a separate statement to EURACTIV, the Croatian foreign minister stated that "a comprehensive approach to the region is important for the credibility of the EU as the most important partner" of the Western Balkans.

He pointed out the need to "help Bosnia and Herzegovina in order to improve its functioning and stability".

Critics have long pointed out that China's "diplomacy of masks and vaccines" was aimed at rapprochement with the Western Balkans at a time when cooperation between Brussels and Washington was weak, writes EURACTIV. "As the EU, we should look at the region not only in the light of enlargement, but also in the light of foreign policy", the ministers pointed out and added that the EU should consider "how to respond to internal events and greater involvement of third parties".

The importance of the EU's proactive policy in the region was also pointed out by a diplomat well-acquainted with enlargement issues, according to EURACTIV.

"The countries of the Western Balkans are in different stages of European integration, but the point is to allow them to progress, to open negotiations. We all know that it will be a long and winding road, but we have to include them in the process," the diplomat told EURACTIV.

"If we do not push that agenda, we will allow other players to have political and economic influence in the region, and that is certainly not in the interest of the EU," he warned. EU foreign ministers also stated that the US under (President Joseph) Biden is "preparing to re-engage in the region" and indicated that working with Washington as a key partner of Brussels "requires a common position".

During the previous Trump administration, Kosovo and Serbia agreed on an agreement to normalize economic relations without significant EU involvement.

Officials in Brussels now hope that the transatlantic "reset" will also help revive EU-mediated dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, a prerequisite for their progress on the EU path.

The President of the USA and the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, agreed in a telephone conversation last Sunday that the Western Balkans, along with China, Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine, will be a region where they will work in coordination. EURACTIV also writes that Poland, which traditionally strongly supports an active enlargement policy, is not among the signatories of the letter to Borel.

However, a Polish diplomat told the Brussels portal that "it is common practice for EU members to present their expectations in different formats." "Poland supports the EU enlargement policy. The enlargement process is an important tool for improving security in the Western Balkans, which also means security in Europe. That's why we support the arguments in the letter initiated by Slovakia," added the Polish diplomat.