Austria and six other EU countries call for the EU membership of the Western Balkan countries to be “promoted and accelerated with renewed vigour”. Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg (ÖVP) and his counterparts from Croatia, the Czech Republic, Greece, Italy, Slovakia and Slovenia adopted a “Göttweig Declaration” at the Europaforum Wachau on Friday. They call for “gradual and accelerated integration with concrete implementation steps by 2024 and beyond”.
“We lost 20 years,” Schallenberg said in a discussion with his colleagues. “We’ve lost momentum.” Enlargement is a litmus test for Europe. Stability can be transferred to southeastern Europe, Ukraine and Moldova, “or we fail”. The focus is now on Ukraine, which is fighting for its survival, but the EU must also look to its southern neighbors in the Western Balkans.
Schallenberg launched the “Friends of the Western Balkans” initiative on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the EU-Western Balkans summit in Thessaloniki on 21 June 2003. At that time, the EU reaffirmed the European perspective for the region. At the invitation of Schallenberg, Foreign Ministers Miroslav Wlachovský (Slovakia), Jan Lipavský (Czech Republic) and Gordan Grlić Radman (Croatia) personally attended the European Forum at Göttweig Abbey. Declaration demands are sent to the EU Commission and other member states.
Lipavský called for more courage from the EU and the Western Balkan countries to resolve open issues. Now is a good opportunity to do that. In the case of Ukraine, the situation is different: Kiev is driven by “the fear of an existential threat”, said the Czech foreign minister.
“We think the (EU) enlargement process is too slow and, at times, too complex and bureaucratic,” the Group of Friends said in a statement. It produced very few visible and tangible results for the citizens of the Western Balkans, especially the youth, which led to “disappointment and alienation from the EU”. At the same time, Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine poses a security threat to the EU and the Western Balkans.
“Moreover, recent violent events in northern Kosovo have shown that unresolved tensions and ongoing conflicts can undermine internal stability. We cannot allow instability in this region surrounded by EU member states,” the statement said. “. Therefore, the EU must also make full use of enlargement as a geostrategic instrument. History has shown that bilateral and regional conflicts can be overcome in this way.
In addition to the Western Balkan states of Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Albania, Kosovo and North Macedonia, Ukraine and Moldova have also had official EU candidate status since last year. This raised some concerns, particularly in Austria, that the Western Balkans could be left behind. In the case of Ukraine and Moldova, the EU states have yet to decide unanimously on the start of accession negotiations.
The chancellors also call for a more structured exchange with the countries of the Western Balkans. Foreign Ministers from these countries must be invited to the EU Foreign Ministers’ Councils at least twice a year. Just as often, the EU should have a strategic debate on the Western Balkans. In addition, more ministerial visits to the region are needed, including on behalf of EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell. There should also be more exchanges with ambassadors responsible for foreign and security policy, as well as more expert dialogues on the fight against organized crime and illegal migration.
The “Friends of the Western Balkans” welcomed the EU Commission’s latest four-point plan to strengthen ties between the countries of the Western Balkans. It includes a closer approach to the EU’s internal market and deeper regional economic integration. Furthermore, fundamental reforms must be accelerated and so-called EU pre-accession aid must be increased.