It is EU’s best interest for Macedonia to be stable and progressing with the rule of law.
In an interview for the German “Zeit”, Austrian Johannes Hahn, EU Commissioner for European Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, said that the EU’s engagement to assist Macedonia with the crisis was exactly for this purpose.
“All Balkan countries need to be focused on the European perspective”, he added, making it clear that it is in Brussels’ interest to have a Balkan region without turmoil or lack of stability, since it could push more immigrants to the EU.
He said that the recent conflict between Prishtina and Belgrade shows that the progress reached so far is not enough to guarantee a long-term stability.
“A wrong word can still generate conflict. For this reason, the European Commission must engage for more economic development, reminding people that they need to see things in perspective. Unemployment is still high, and there are educated people who are leaving their country. This requires a solution”, Hahn said, adding that the purpose of the EU is to have all Balkan countries access the union, because the entire region is still in a phase when not much is needed for things to “explode”.
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