Commissioner Kos calls on Serbia to make up its mind

The European Commission adopted its annual enlargement package in Brussels on Tuesday. According to the report, Georgia is a candidate on paper only and Turkey's accession process is at a standstill. It further states that Albania, Moldova, Montenegro and Ukraine have made the most progress, while Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia and Serbia are in a weaker position.

The European Commission adopted its annual Enlargement Package today, presenting a comprehensive assessment of the progress made by candidate countries over the past twelve months. Presenting the package, senior commission officials said that the package reaffirms that enlargement momentum remains a high priority on the European Union’s agenda.

The package reiterates that a consistent and merit-based approach is the key to successful EU accession, with Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Kosovo, the Republic of Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Turkey, and Ukraine continue their respective paths towards the EU. It was noted however, that the speed of their respective accession to the bloc is defined by the pace of their reforms, specifically in the areas of democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights.

"We are more committed than ever to turning EU enlargement into a reality. Because a larger Union means a stronger and more influential Europe on the global stage. But enlargement is a merit-based process. Our package provides specific recommendations to all our partners. And to all of them we say: EU accession is a unique offer. A promise of peace, prosperity and solidarity. With the right reforms and a strong political will, our partners can seize this opportunity," said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

With regard to the specific progress of individual candidate countries, the report states that Georgia is a candidate on paper only and Turkey's accession process is at a standstill. It further notes that Albania, Moldova, Montenegro and Ukraine have made the most progress over the past year, while Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia and Serbia are in a weaker position. With regard to Serbia, European Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos, commented on Belgrade’s relations with Russia at a press conference on Tuesday: "I can understand our candidate country, Serbia, is having special relations to Russia. On the other hand I was stressing candidate country. We expect from a candidate country a clear geopolitical positioning, especially in the times when this country, Russia, is killing people in Ukraine. We have been speaking about this CFSP alignment before, in Serbia it is the lowest. We have four countries with one hundred percent in the Western Balkans, we have 99 alignment with Ukraine, 98 with Moldova, and with Serbia it is 60 to 61, so Serbia will have to decide. Second point; sixty percent of the trade of Serbia is with the European Union, and with Russia it is about 1.5 percent or even less."

Source: HRT