Baerbock sees EU enlargement as a “geopolitical necessity”.
EU Commissioner Oliver Varhely and Foreign Minister Berbach at a meeting in Tirana
They are: dpa/Franc Zhurda
At a meeting in Albania, Foreign Minister Annalena Berbach called for the Western Balkans’ EU accession to be accelerated. Because of the war in Ukraine, this is a “geopolitical necessity”. However, tensions between Serbia and Kosovo are dampening the mood.
AForeign Minister Annalena Berbach (Greens) has called for EU access to the Western Balkans to be accelerated in light of Russia’s war on Ukraine. “Russia’s attack on Ukraine makes EU enlargement a geopolitical necessity for the Western Balkans,” the Green politician told a meeting with his counterparts from Serbia, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Albania in the Albanian capital Tirana on Friday.
“In Kiev you can feel how passionate Ukrainians are about Europe. Especially young people in the Western Balkans share this enthusiasm,” said Baerbach. This means abandoning “the logic of everything” in the EU enlargement process. should be integrated.
The meeting in Tirana is part of the so-called Berlin Process, launched by Germany in 2014, which is intended to promote and advise the six Western Balkan states that are not part of the European Union.
However, renewed tensions between Serbia and Kosovo overshadowed the meeting. Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic refused to pose for the traditional “family photo” with his colleagues. An attack by Serbian paramilitaries on Kosovo police officers, killing four, escalated the simmering conflict on September 24. Serbia then increased its military presence along the border with Kosovo. Many analysts also see Russian influence in Serbia.
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