EU offering W. Balkans role of "satellite unit of sorts"

EU offering W. Balkans role of "satellite unit of sorts"

The offer was reportedly made during an informal gathering the EU foreign policy chief organized in Brussels.

To newspaper said it learned that Mogherini "conveyed EU's readiness not to politically hinder the accession process until it reaches the final instance, i.e., the final accession, but also noted that it is not possible to foresee the exact deadlines for admission of new members, primarily due to the many problems inside the EU itself."

According to Vecernje Novosti, this move of the head of EU diplomacy came due to the need to calm the anxiety in the Western Balkans, that arose mainly out of a sense that the region's EU integration has been completely sidelined - while the meeting was convened with the intention to overcome the current negative developments in the region, but also in order to engage the EU in "maintaining the dynamic of (accession) negotiations, and the candidates in complying with their obligations."

In this respect, the article continues, "the offer followed not to stretch out the negotiating process, to maintain the desired speed, but to stop only before the admission to the EU."

According to the newspaper, hints that an intergovernmental conference could be held in late June, when Serbia "should open new negotiating chapters" represent a part of this "strategy."