Czechia and Other 6 EU States Urge Faster EU Accession for Western Balkan Nations

The Czech Republic and six other EU countries have called for a faster process of EU enlargement into the Western Balkans.

The declaration was adopted at the foreign ministers’ meeting in Austria on Friday, according to the APA Austrian news agency.

The statement was jointly signed by Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg, his Czech counterpart Jan Lipavsky, and the foreign ministers of Slovakia, Slovenia, Croatia, Greece, and Italy. Schallenberg referred to the initiative as ‘Friends of the Western Balkans’.

In a call for action directed towards the other member states of the EU27 and the European Commission, the signatories of the Gottweig Declaration are advocating for “gradual and accelerated integration with concrete steps for 2024 and beyond”.

“We feel that the EU enlargement process has sometimes been too slow, complex, and bureaucratic,” said the group. The ministers assert that the process has yielded few tangible results so far, particularly for the people of these countries, especially the youth, leading to “disillusionment and alienation towards the EU”.

The ministers also cautioned that Russia’s aggression against Ukraine poses a threat to both the EU and the Western Balkan countries. Furthermore, the recent violent events in northern Kosovo have demonstrated that unresolved tensions and long-standing conflicts can undermine stability in the region, with reference to the tense situation in the predominantly Serb northern part of Kosovo. The declaration calls for stability in this area, which is surrounded by European Union states.

To enhance cooperation, the NGO Friends of the Western Balkans proposes that foreign ministers from the region meet their EU counterparts at least twice a year or engage in expert dialogues on organized crime and illegal migration.

APA reported that Lipavsky emphasized the need for greater courage from the EU and the Western Balkan states in addressing unresolved issues. He stated that now is the opportune time for this, while mentioning that the situation with Ukraine is different, driven by fear in the face of an existential threat.

Schallenberg’s initiative coincides with the 20th anniversary of the EU-Western Balkans summit held in Thessaloniki, Greece, during which the EU affirmed the region’s European perspective.

The Western Balkan countries currently seeking EU membership include Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Albania.

APA reported concerns in Austria about the Western Balkan countries ending up in a disadvantaged position after the EU27 granted candidate status to Ukraine and Moldova a year ago.