Rehn: EU to include Balkans
European Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn yesterday called on the EU to include South-East Europe in the enlargement process.
Friday, 08.05.2009.
10:19
European Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn yesterday called on the EU to include South-East Europe in the enlargement process. “Europe is united and free today. Let’s finish the job in South-East Europe too, as the principles of freedom and democracy, respect for human rights and freedoms that the EU is founded on, demand of us,” Rehn said yesterday ahead of May 9, Europe Day. Rehn: EU to include Balkans He said that the Western Balkan countries were making steady, if at times slow, progress towards the EU, and that “the Serbian government is dedicated to the European path, as borne out by positive events in the recent period.” Alongside Serbia’s progress, Rehn observed that stability had been maintained in Kosovo during last year’s events, negotiations with Croatia were on the right path, and that Montenegro and Albania had reached important milestones in submitting their EU candidacy bids. Meanwhile, association talks were expected to begin with Macedonia soon, while Bosnia-Herzegovina had made progress with the signing of the Stabilization and Association Agreement and the promulgation of the interim agreement, Rehn added. With elections looming in Turkey, Brussels expects that country to also fulfill its promise and begin implementing the needed reforms with new vigor, he said. “Compared to other regions of the world, South-East Europe enjoys relative political stability, and its European perspective is responsible for that,” the enlargement commissioner said. However, he warned that “the end of history is not on the horizon, and irreversible stability has still to be reached.” He said that the EU was celebrating two other anniversaries this year—the fall of the Iron Curtain 20 years ago and the fifth anniversary of the peaceful unification of Eastern and Western Europe. The European perspective has proven to be a strong incentive in the transformations of Central and Eastern Europe, and “the benefits of EU enlargement and the risk of indecision shows that we cannot stop with building peace and stability in South-East Europe,” Rehn said. “The enlargement process is focused on South-East Europe today. The Western Balkans and Turkey have a European perspective and our pledge that they will be EU member-states when they meet all conditions,” Rehn said. Olli Rehn (Beta archive)
Rehn: EU to include Balkans
He said that the Western Balkan countries were making steady, if at times slow, progress towards the EU, and that “the Serbian government is dedicated to the European path, as borne out by positive events in the recent period.”Alongside Serbia’s progress, Rehn observed that stability had been maintained in Kosovo during last year’s events, negotiations with Croatia were on the right path, and that Montenegro and Albania had reached important milestones in submitting their EU candidacy bids.
Meanwhile, association talks were expected to begin with Macedonia soon, while Bosnia-Herzegovina had made progress with the signing of the Stabilization and Association Agreement and the promulgation of the interim agreement, Rehn added.
With elections looming in Turkey, Brussels expects that country to also fulfill its promise and begin implementing the needed reforms with new vigor, he said.
“Compared to other regions of the world, South-East Europe enjoys relative political stability, and its European perspective is responsible for that,” the enlargement commissioner said.
However, he warned that “the end of history is not on the horizon, and irreversible stability has still to be reached.”
He said that the EU was celebrating two other anniversaries this year—the fall of the Iron Curtain 20 years ago and the fifth anniversary of the peaceful unification of Eastern and Western Europe.
The European perspective has proven to be a strong incentive in the transformations of Central and Eastern Europe, and “the benefits of EU enlargement and the risk of indecision shows that we cannot stop with building peace and stability in South-East Europe,” Rehn said.
“The enlargement process is focused on South-East Europe today. The Western Balkans and Turkey have a European perspective and our pledge that they will be EU member-states when they meet all conditions,” Rehn said.
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