EC: New Enlargement Strategy for Western Balkan Countries; Plenković Welcomes the Initiative

The European Commission will announce a new enlargement strategy for the Western Balkan countries on Tuesday in Strasbourg, aiming to encourage the six countries to intensify their efforts to meet the criteria, while also preparing public opinion in member states for the continuation of enlargement. Croatia welcomes this initiative and announces that it will pay special attention to it during its presidency of the EU Council.

The Commission, in the latest draft of the document, which Hina had access to and which is expected to be adopted at the meeting of the College of Commissioners on Tuesday, emphasizes that Serbia and Montenegro, as leaders in the enlargement process, could become members by 2025, but only if they meet all criteria and Serbia reaches a binding agreement on the normalization of relations with Kosovo.

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– With strong political will, results of real sustainable reforms, and definitive solutions to disputes with neighbors, they (Serbia and Montenegro) could perhaps become members by 2025. This perspective is extremely ambitious. Whether it will be realized will fully depend on the objective merits and results of each country, states the final draft of the document.

– In the case of Serbia, the transitional benchmarks related to the normalization of relations with Kosovo (Chapter 35) must be met, and a comprehensive and legally binding agreement must be urgently concluded, the document states.

Earlier drafts of this document stated that these steps could be completed by the end of 2019, and now it says ‘urgently’.

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The Commission states that all Western Balkan countries have the opportunity to progress on the European path based on their own merits and the speed at which they achieve them.

It is noted that the Commission is ready to prepare recommendations for opening accession negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania based on fulfilled conditions, and for Bosnia and Herzegovina, it will begin drafting an opinion after receiving comprehensive and complete responses to the questionnaire from Sarajevo. “With persistent efforts and engagement, Bosnia and Herzegovina could become a candidate for membership,” says the Commission. Kosovo is said to have “the opportunity for sustainable progress through the implementation of the Stabilization and Association Agreement and can move forward when objective circumstances allow it.”

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Kosovo is in a special position because five member states, Spain, Romania, Greece, Cyprus, and Slovakia, do not recognize this state. Recently, Spain has been the loudest, as it does not want the strategy to mention the six Western Balkan countries due to its internal problems with Catalonia.

Croatia Will Pay Attention to Enlargement During Its EU Presidency

Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković sent a letter to European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker ahead of the announcement of the strategy, outlining Croatia’s views on the continuation of enlargement.

Plenković, as it is learned, welcomed the fact that the Commission is fully focused on enlargement policy.

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He announced that during its presidency of the EU Council in the first half of 2020, Croatia will “place special emphasis on EU enlargement” and organize an EU summit with Southeast European countries. He also proposes that such summits be held every two years.

Plenković also warned in his letter about the issue of war legacy, which is one of the key problems facing the countries of Southeast Europe and needs to be resolved as soon as possible.

He also emphasized the need to pay special attention to Bosnia and Herzegovina and its European path, “taking into account the difficult path that this country has gone through in gaining independence and the specific role that the international community has had in this.”

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– Establishing and protecting full equality of all three constituent nations is not possible without changes to the electoral legislation, Plenković states. A group of 12 countries, Austria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Latvia, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia, also wrote to Juncker, proposing that annual summits of EU leaders and the six Southeast European countries be held.

They also propose that the relevant ministers of these countries participate in EU ministerial meetings in areas such as environmental protection, health, transport, and foreign policy. These countries state in the letter that this would not cost the European Union “anything,” but would have a huge political impact and be beneficial for the EU’s reputation in the region.

Prime Minister Plenković states in his letter that countries in Croatia’s southeastern neighborhood should be encouraged to make efforts to resolve open border issues on the principle of peaceful dispute resolution, in accordance with the UN Charter and international law.

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The Commission states in its document that the EU’s enlargement policy “must continue to export stability, not import bilateral disputes.”

– Where border disputes are not resolved bilaterally, the parties should submit them to unconditional binding international arbitration, whose rulings must be fully implemented and respected by both sides before accession and must be taken into account in preparations for accession treaties, states the Commission’s document.

In one of the earlier drafts, a slightly different formulation was mentioned, referring to the possibility of submitting arbitration to the International Court of Justice. As unofficially learned, Slovenia lobbied for the International Court of Justice to be removed from the text.

In relation to earlier drafts of the document, the latest one no longer mentions any dates, except for 2025 as a possible year for enlargement. For example, it previously stated that Serbia and Montenegro, if they meet all necessary conditions, could sign the accession agreement in 2024, and now it only says that “the accession agreement can be signed when negotiations are concluded and after the Commission’s opinion, the European Parliament’s consent, and the Council’s decision on the admission of new members.”

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The Commission also states that the EU must institutionally prepare for new enlargements. “The European Union must be stronger and more solid before it becomes larger,” states the Commission’s document.

Therefore, the Commission announces that by the end of this year it could propose an expansion of areas where decisions are made by qualified majority rather than unanimously, to ensure more effective decision-making. The Commission states in its document that entering the EU “means making a choice,” which is a rather clear allusion to those who would rely on some other countries that want to have an active role in the region.

– Joining the European Union is a choice. It requires political and social consensus and support from the people wholeheartedly. There can be no ambiguity among leaders about where the Western Balkans belongs and in which direction it is heading,” states the document. It also states that it is necessary to adopt “special arrangements so that those countries that join first cannot block the accession of other Western Balkan countries.”

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The goal of the strategy is also to prepare public opinion in member states for the continuation of enlargement, which has fallen into the background after the outbreak of a severe financial crisis that shook the very foundations of the EU. Meanwhile, while the European Union was preoccupied with itself, the influence of Russia, China, and Turkey has grown in the region.

– The Western Balkans is part of Europe, geographically surrounded by EU member states. The peoples of the EU and this region share a common heritage and history, and a future defined by common opportunities and challenges, states the Commission.

– A strong, merit-based perspective of Western Balkan membership in the EU is a political, security, and economic interest of the EU. It is a powerful tool for promoting democracy, the rule of law, and respect for fundamental rights. It is a geostrategic investment in a stable, strong, and united Europe based on common values, states the document.