New Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš said today that it is important for the European Union (EU) to accept Serbia as a full member and also into the Schengen area because there are other powers seeking to expand their influence in the Balkans, and that this should have been done a long time ago and not for enlargement to be "like an endless story."
"We should have admitted the Western Balkans and Serbia into the EU and the Schengen area a long time ago. Because if we don't do that, of course there are countries that want to have influence there. Serbia was traditionally pro-Russian, but now it is helping Ukraine, it has freed itself from Russian gas and oil," Babiš said in a regular video address on social media.
In a video message summarizing the EU summit in Brussels, Babiš emphasized that it is important for the EU's political influence to prevail in Serbia.
Ahead of the summit, Babiš proposed that since enlargement is delayed, the Western Balkan countries should immediately enter the Schengen area first, and then negotiations could continue on full membership.
"I don't understand why the EU didn't decide long ago to expand Schengen to the Western Balkan countries so that we can defend our Europe at sea against migrant smugglers who abuse these people and promise them a better life," Babiš said earlier this week when Czech President Petr Pavel appointed the new Czech government.
Babiš was in a hurry to form a new government so that the president could appoint it in time for Babiš to represent the Czech Republic at the previous summit and at the EU meeting with the Western Balkan countries, at which, according to the decision of the Serbian authorities, there were no representatives from Serbia.
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