Hahn: EU Ready for Membership of Western Balkan States in the bloc

The European Union is increasingly willing to consider the membership of Western Balkan states in the bloc, EU Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn said.

According to him, their EU membership would ensure peace in the region, while enriching the EU itself.

“There is more readiness within member states to address enlargement”, Hahn told Austrian daily Wiener Zeitung, Reuters broadcast.

Albania, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia are officially candidates for EU membership, while Kosovo and Bosnia are seeking the same status.

The EU views the region as important for issues such as migration control and combating security threats.

The member states have realised that peace can be achieved in the Balkans and that the prospect of EU membership is vital to”, Hahn said.