Serbia, Montenegro towards EU membership by 2025, Kosovo is not mentioned

The EU has launched a diplomatic effort to accelerate steps to bring the six Western Balkan countries to the EU, after years of early progress.

“It is time to put an end to the work of 1989”, European Commissioner Johannes Hahn told Reuters, referring to the EU's eastward expansion after the fall of the Berlin Wall. “E we have set 2025 as an indicator date for Serbia and Montenegro, which is realistic but also very ambitious”.

Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia all hope they will join the EU, but in recent years they have seen their chances of membership fade at a time when EU politicians, faced with increasing Euroscepticism in their countries, the 2009-2013 Eurozone crisis, and Britain's vote for exit from the bloc, and seemed to have lost interest.

But the growing Russian influence, the crisis with migration that has engulfed the region, Turkey's departure towards authoritarian rule and a desire to strengthen European integration after Britain leaves in 2019, has provided the Balkans with a new opportunity.

“Or we will export stability to the region, or import instability”, Hahn said, arguing that the EU membership process was the best way to fight corruption, organised crime and the threat from authoritarianism in the region.

Serbia is viewed as central and the EU hopes Belgrade's influence in the Balkans will be able to help implement other reforms.

Hahni is expected to visit Serbia in February, after the European Commission has published the new strategy for the Balkans on February 6th, while after that the Commission's president, Jean Claude Juncker, who is expected to visit the six Balkan countries in a gesture of support.

Hahn will also travel to Washington next month to meet State Department officials to outline the EU's push for the Balkans.

With neighbouring Bulgaria leading the EU's rotary presidency from January to June, EU leaders will hold a special summit in Sofia in May. Britain, too, is expected to be the host of a summit for the Balkans in July.

“Call for selection”

At another important moment, Macedonia could offer an invitation for NATO membership, the US-led alliance, if it manages to resolve its dispute with Greece over the name of this former Yugoslav republic, have announced NATO diplomats.

Hahn said he is sure that the issue at the end will be resolved after the UN talks this month. Secretary - General NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, during a visit to Macedonia on Wednesday, also said he has seen hope for resolving the name issue.

However, the obstacle to meeting conditions for EU membership abounds.

The six Balkan countries have weak banking and judicial systems, while incomes in the region are 30 percent lower than in the Eurozone, based on notes by the International Monetary Fund.

The region is hit by ethnic conflicts that followed the breakup of Yugoslavia in the 1990s.

Bosnia remains deeply divided. Serbia does not recognise Kosovo's independence, its former province. And accuses him of seeking to enter war with Belgrade. Montenegro has been involved in political crisis for most of 2017.

The EU strategy relies on the promise that Serbia and Kosovo will achieve “normalisation of relations” by the end of 2019, given a draft version of the plan Reuters has seen.

Hahn acknowledged that the murder of Kosovo Serb leader Oliver Ivanovic on Tuesday is an indication of the region's instability.

“I hope this is a wake-up call for responsible politicians. I ask for political ability to understand that only co-operation, reconciliation is the only way ahead of”, he said.