Kosovo with greatest hopes in region for EU membership, though expected to come last

The European Union wants to suggest that it still cares about the Balkans, but not all countries in this region feel love.

Brussels has been accused for years that it is not paying much attention to the six Western Balkan countries that want to join the bloc. After assuming office in 2014, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said the EU would not accept any new members during his five-year term.

But in recent months, the EU has restored interest in the Balkans after it was alarmed for Russian efforts to increase influence there and by confusing relations between several countries in the region that were involved in the war several decades ago, reports “Politico”.

EU leaders have started to send signals that the road to Brussels is still open. Juncker, at his September address, and French President Emmanuel Macron, in his big speech presenting his vision of Europe's future, stressed that the bloc should be open to new members from the Western Balkans.

Brussels does not expect all six Western Balkan countries -- Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia -- to enter the EU at the same time if ever. The EC has even declared Serbia and Montenegro to be “lider” and aims to have those members by 2025, and possibly earlier, Coha.net broadcasts.

The focus on these two countries has sparked alarms, confusion and anger among other countries not included in the governing group.

Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj has suggested that Serbia is receiving preferential treatment because it has played with the possibility of approaching its traditional ally, Russia.

And it's Moscow, Russia... The message to our region must be clear, without double standards”, Haradinaj has said in an interview during his recent visit to Brussels.

Haradinaj, who said he hopes his government will submit its application for EU membership in the second part of next year, said all Western Balkan countries should be members at the same time.

Kosovo President Hashim Thaci has suggested that the strategy of <x0liders” can be Islamophobic because he places countries with the substantial Muslim population below the Christian-orthodox states.

Other countries have been less critical, but have made it clear that the new strategy -- at least -- leads to confusion.

Janina Samantha, the Albanian ambassador to the EU, has said Juncker's signal to the region with his speech at the Union State has been “highly valued”, but accompanying letters for the strategy of leaders “has caused some grief”.

Looking at this document, we asked what's this about? ) What we needed were” clarifications, she said.

Meanwhile, the Commission has said that the identification of Serbia and Montenegro as leaders simply reflects the fact that they are only two of the six countries that have started membership negotiations. But regional diplomats are concerned that the pair will now benefit the lion's share of Brussels' attention.

A positive race

Defending the EU strategy, Johannes Hahn, the European commissioner responsible for enlargement, said it stimulates healthy rivalry among countries to implement reforms needed for EU membership.

“We have a positive race between them, they are looking at each other with jealousy”, he told POLITICO.

The commission is also preparing to recommend launching membership talks with Albania and possibly with Macedonia in the first part of next year, according to Hahn, though he said this would happen only if it was to ensure that EU governments received positive proposals, Coha.net broadcasts.

Serbia has also faced obstacles on its road to membership from Croatia, its wartime enemy since the 1990s and EU member since 2013.

Serbia faces yet another major problem, its relationship with Kosovo. Belgrade continues to address its Albanian territory in majority as province of its own, despite 2008 Kosovo declared independence.

Kosovo also faces problems related to its legal status. Five EU member states do not recognise Kosovo independent states, making it very difficult to accept candidate status for EU membership, much less a member.

In another legacy from Yugoslavia's division, an agreement that would give Kosovars the visa-free movement regime in the EU has been put in drawers, as Kosovo's parliament is failing to collect enough votes to vote on the demarcation agreement with Montenegro.

“E we have learned lesson”, Hahn said, referring to the border dispute between Slovenia and Croatia that is still ongoing -- both are members of the EU. We today are very clear that border conflicts must be resolved before EU accession