Moghrin: EU will not be complete without Western Balkans

The date of entry into the European Union largely depends on Serbia, while membership will come with reforms and normalising relations with Kosovo, European diplomacy chief Federica Moghrini has said of the European Western Balkans portal.

At the summit of Western Balkan leaders, which starts today in Trieste, Moghrini in the interview has said Serbia has achieved excellent results in past years, opening ten negotiating chapters and temporarily closing two.

Speaking about Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, the chief of European diplomacy expressed optimism, saying that the good “dosage of optimism and commitment can always contribute to dialogue”, Kosovo Press broadcasts.

“This was a very intensive year for relations between Belgrade and Pristina -- just a few months ago, the situation was tense, but today we see new and unique opportunities for reconciliation. When there is political will to move forward, there is always room for optimism”, Moghrin said.

In this context, it commemorates that last week, when it met with Kosovo President Hashim Thaci and Serbia's Aleksandar Vuciq in Brussels, all have agreed to start the new phase of dialogue towards normalisation of relations and have also agreed on the importance of implementing agreements reached by dialogue without delay.

Speaking of the fourth high-level meeting within the Balkan process, which starts today in Trieste, Moghrini said it is an important part of the broad EU engagement in the region and that the Berlin process facilitates the joint work of the Western Balkans' entry into the EU.

“The EU will never be completely without the Western Balkans. The region is in the heart of Europe. The peoples of the Western Balkans share and contribute to European culture, history and economy. This region is part of Europe and will also be part of the EU, and there is no doubt about”, Moghrin said.