Print

Mail

wiki links

Summit puts Balkans at the EU table

The leaders of five Balkan states meet for the first time with their EU counterparts yesterday for a one day summit which they hope will speed up their integration into the EU.

The EU leaders, fresh from agreeing on a draft constitution for an enlarged Union, want to give a new boost to the five -- Serbia and Montenegro, Macedonia, Albania, Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

But they are likely to tell them that the pace of integration depends entirely on their willingness to implement reform.

"They have to continue the process of political and economic reform on which they are embarked. But we wish to be more hands on in helping them in that process," EU external relations commissioner Chris Patten said on Friday.

"The destiny for the people of southeast Europe is membership of the European Union and we want to underline that at this summit," he said.

Brussels wants the war-torn Balkan states to press ahead with political, economic and judicial reforms and to step up the fight against organized crime, blamed for the March assassination of Serbian prime minister Zoran Djindjic.

For all its encouragement though, including financial incentives and talk of wanting to fill the "hole in the map of Europe," the EU has been reluctant to talk about offering them a date for candidature.

Patten's spokeswoman, Emma Udwin, said the five would not be given a timetable for membership as it was up to them how quickly they could join.

But to help, integration partnerships will be discussed, including the notion of "twinning," whereby the EU would lend civil servants to the countries to help them bring their legislatures into line with the EU.

The Greek EU presidency, keenly aware of the need for stability in its own back yard -- the five are just a few hours' drive from Greece -- has made a priority of holding open the door to them.

Under this impetus, EU leaders are expected to pledge to release an extra 200 million euros from 2004-2006 to help the region's development. Since 1991 the EU has provided more than 7 billion euros to the five Balkan countries.

Inter-ethnic tension, a feared resurgence of extremism and separatism, and improved cooperation with the UN war-crimes tribunal are also on the agenda.

While accelerating the integration process is the priority at the summit, the five EU hopefuls have arrived with their own agendas.

Serbia and Montenegro hopes the meeting will speed up the signing of the stabilization and association accord between Belgrade and the EU, the first step towards integration.

Belgrade, once considered the pariah of Europe under former leader Slobodan Milosevic, would like to join the EU in 2007 or 2008, and not in 2010 or 2015.

Kosovo, the southern Serbian province run by the UN since the 1999 war, will be among topics Belgrade is keen to discuss.

Croatia meanwhile, one of the first countries to break off from the old Yugoslav federation, is hoping to join the EU in 2007 and that its candidacy, formally submitted in February, will win backing from EU leaders.

Bosnia, which would like to join as early as 2009, wants to secure more aid, but EU leaders have been making it clear they are opposed.

Macedonia expects "firm and concrete" EU support for rapid integration.

Albania, which has since January been negotiating an EU stabilization and association accord, expects to sign it next year at the latest.
This story has been viewed 1795 times.