June 1, 2023
2 mins read

European Commission unveils Western Balkans initiative

The EU has rededicated itself to supporting Western Balkan countries since Russia invaded Ukraine, as officials grow increasingly concerned about Moscow’s sway in the region…reports Asian Lite News

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday announced a new plan to bring the Western Balkans closer to the EU.

Speaking at the GLOBSEC Bratislava Forum, the EU’s top executive said the bloc needs to do more to reach out to aspiring members in the region, unveiling a four-point blueprint to boost local growth. The Western Balkans has long been a potential expansion area for the EU, but accession efforts have become drawn out and stalled in many cases.

“We finally realize that it is not enough to just wait for our friends outside the Union to move closer to us,” von der Leyen told a crowd of officials and think tankers from across the Continent. “We must also take responsibility to bring the aspiring members of our Union much closer to us.”

The plan, according to von der Leyen, would include efforts to further align the Western Balkans with the EU’s single market, deepen regional economic integration, accelerate judicial and anti-corruption reforms, and boost pre-accession funding.

“The Western Balkans could join our digital single market in areas such as e-commerce and cybersecurity,” the president said. “We could facilitate our trade in goods and payments,” she noted.

The EU has rededicated itself to supporting Western Balkan countries since Russia invaded Ukraine, as officials grow increasingly concerned about Moscow’s sway in the region.

“I want our single market to be a driver of change, not only for countries that have already joined the family but also for those who are still on their way,” von der Leyen argued.

Speaking right after von der Leyen, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, whose country formally started accession talks with the EU last July — 13 years after first applying for EU membership — welcomed the new pledges of support.

“Not only [do] we fully agree with what Ursula said, but we think that this is a death-or-life problem for us, for all of us,” Rama said. “We have to get something more and something has to fundamentally change in the relations between the European Union and Western Balkans if they don’t want to see Western Balkans go back again.”

Nevertheless, von der Leyen underscored that Western Balkan countries will also have to do their part in order to access new benefits.

“We want to offer to the Western Balkans some of the advantages of membership in advance. But of course, this also means that certain requirements of membership also have to be met in advance,” she said.

And, the president emphasized, Europe needs to put more money on the table in order to help improve people’s lives and smooth the integration process.

“We should,” she said, “increase the resources dedicated to the Western Balkans.”

ALSO READ-New Zealand-Britain FTA takes effect

Previous Story

Canada launches new process for Express Entry candidates

Next Story

Canada to put health warnings on individual cigarettes

Latest from -Top News

Mass Expulsions Close Afghan Shops in Pakistan

As Pakistan intensifies its mass deportation drive against Afghan refugees, the once-bustling Afghan-owned businesses in Rawalpindi are falling silent. With the March 31 deadline for repatriation passed, a growing number of Afghan-run

South Korea Sets June 3 Presidential Election

South Korea will hold a presidential election on June 3, the government confirmed on Tuesday, setting the stage for a new leadership following the impeachment and removal of former President Yoon Suk

RPP Rallies for Return of Nepal’s Monarchy

Police on alert as royalist rallies return to the capital Kathmandu witnessed heightened tensions on Tuesday as the pro-monarchy Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) staged a high-profile demonstration demanding the reinstatement of Nepal’s
Go toTop

Don't Miss

European Commission announces Jordan aid package

The funds from this MFA will be provided as long-term

EU Urges Faster Action on Water Protection and Flood Management

To safeguard marine ecosystems, the Commission suggested enhanced efforts to