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European Commission: Open EU Talks With Albania, Macedonia

April 17, 201818:02
The European Commission’s enlargement report for 2017, published on Tuesday, recommends that EU accession talks should begin with Albania and Macedonia.
Hahn and Mogherini in Strasbourg in February 2018. Photo: European Commission

The European Commission called on Tuesday for the start of EU accession negotiations with Albania and Macedonia.

“A step forward for the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Albania is a step forward for the entire west Balkans region,” said the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini.

She said that both countries have “delivered important reforms” over the past year, and that “this is the moment we recognise positive change”.

Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn said that the EU’s enlargement policy “continues to be a key engine driving reforms in the western Balkans”.

“I would like to congratulate our partners for this successful work. This is a job well done, but there is no time for complacency,” Hahn said.

The recommendations were made in the Commission’s annual so-called ‘Enlargement Package’ which consists of seven individual reports on Montenegro, Serbia, Turkey, Macedonia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo.

Albania and Macedonia were deemed “moderately prepared” for EU membership in the fields of economic and legislative reforms.

However, the number of unfounded asylum applications lodged by Albanian nationals to EU member states and Schengen-associated countries has remained high, and crime and corruption remain an issue.

“More efforts are needed to tackle money laundering, criminal assets and unjustified wealth,” the report on Albania reads.

Macedonia is said to have “finally overcome its most severe political crisis since 2001”, but the long-running name dispute with Greece is still a problem.

“The ‘name issue’ needs to be resolved as a matter of urgency,” the report warns. 

EU Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn and foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini are to visit Macedonia on Wednesday and Thursday respectively.

The focus of talks with Macedonian officials will be the pace of EU-sought reforms, as well as the ongoing efforts to resolve the long-running name dispute with Greece.

The report on Serbia says the 2017 presidential elections, which were won by Aleksandar Vucic, were not carried out on a level playing feld.

“The recommendations of international observers need to be fully addressed, including those related to the transparency and integrity of the election process during the electoral campaign,” the report says.

It adds that the Serbian parliament “still does not exercise effective oversight of the executive”.

The reports for both Serbia and Kosovo contain the same formulation that says both countries “remained engaged” in dialogue” with each other, but need to “make further efforts and contribute to the establishment of circumstances conducive to the full normalisation of relations”.

The reports says Kosovo is in the early stage of reforms on several issues, such as developing a judiciary system, fighting organised crime and corruption, and aligning itself with European legislative standards.

It also cites the ratification of the border demarcation agreement with Montenegro in March 2018 as an “important breakthrough”.

On Montenegro, the report says that corruption is “prevalent in many areas and remains an issue of concern”, and notes that parliament’s legislative capacity and oversight of the executive needs to be enhanced.

While Montenegro further aligned its legislation with EU standards, the report says more efforts are still needed in strengthening the institutional framework and effective protection of human rights.

“The Roma minority remains the most vulnerable and most discriminated community. Gender-based violence and violence against children remains a serious concern in the country,” the report says.

The report on Bosnia and Herzegovina notes that the functioning of the country’s presidency was affected by the expression of divergent positions by its Bosniak, Serb and Croat members on a number of issues.

The strategic, legal, institutional and policy frameworks for the observance of human rights in the country are also described as being “in need of substantial improvement”.

“This includes freedom of expression where political pressure and intimidation towards journalists continued, including physical and verbal attacks,” the report says.

It expresses concern over the “lack of effective implementation of legislation on the prevention of and protection from gender‑based violence, in particular domestic violence”, while a more comprehensive and integrated approach towards the Roma population is required to foster their social inclusion.

The report says that Bosnia’s reform agenda has been effectively implemented when the state level and the entity levels have cooperated in a coordinated manner, but constitutional issues remain.

“Bosnia and Herzegovina’s constitution remains in breach of the European Convention on Human Rights, as per the Sejdic-Finci and related cases,” the report says.

Read more:

EU’s New Balkans Enlargement Strategy Demands Reforms

Focus on EU Accession Masks Serbia’s Real Problems

Europe’s New Balkan Strategy Gets Dynamics All Wrong