The EU-Western Balkan Summit risks turning into a failure
05/04/2018 18:30
The Washington Agreement Must Be Reactivated! 06/01 19:04
The EU Western Balkan Summit which will be held in Sofia on May 18th could turn into a great failure for the block, according to Radio Free Europe, since the member countries are discussing if the meeting should result with a joint declaration, or something less important.
A copy of the first draft for the so-called “Declaration of the Sofia Summit”, created by the 28 EU member countries, (read by Radio Free Europe), was debated by European ambassadors initially by the end of March.
Although the 13-page-long draft doesn’t have much political content, it is clear that the expectancies will not be big when the European leaders will meet with their counterparts from Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia, in the capital of Bulgaria, a meeting that is being held for the first time in 15 years.
One of the hottest topics is Kosovo’s presence, which open debates for Cyprus, Greece, Romania, Slovakia and Spain, the five EU members that haven’t recognized Kosovo’s independence.
The document is referred to the EU members as “states”, and to the other six as “Western Balkan partners”.
Spain, Cyprus, Greece and Romania don’t want to consider this “a joint document from the EU”, but “conclusions of the Bulgarian Presidency”, or simply “a declaration signed by the EU countries”.
Some of the countries that don’t recognize Kosovo are also unhappy with the declaration written by the EU for the enlargement, which says: “EU confirms the clear support for the European perspective of Western Balkans. Their European path remains based on the fulfilment of the criteria and individual merits”. They claim that the meeting in May will not be for further enlargement.
The other countries, which are more prone to see the Western Balkan countries joining the EU, such as Austria, Croatia and Italy, are pushing forward the ambitious speech used at the Thessaloniki Summit in 2013, when it was said that all countries of the region will become EU members one day.
An annexe of the declaration is based on a concrete proposition to increase the relations between Western Balkans and the EU. Among the suggestions there is a mentioning of the regional electricity network, which will be completed in all of the Western Balkans; the creation of a strategy for the railway system; the launching of a digital agenda for Western Balkans, including the reduction of roaming calls; and doubling of the Erasmus+ student exchange program.
The draft also mentions support for the project that connects Croatia’s coastline with Montenegro and Albania, and the Highway of Peace project, which connects Nis with Prishtina.
Top Channel
