Rama: Serbia Won't Enter EU Before Albania

As Politico.eu writes, submits Telegrafi, the European Commission has stated in recent months that it is open once again to the admission of new member states from the Western Balkans.

The change of tone from Brussels was followed by a period of “enlargement degree”, during which the EU was consumed with internal crises and faced a blow from Western Europe for immigration by new member states from the east.

EU officials have begun to highlight the position that enlargement in the Western Balkans will improve the bloc's stability and security, raising EU democracy standards and order and law in a sensitive area divided by the 1990s war.

The commission has named Serbia, the most populated country in the Western Balkans and its smaller neighbour Montenegro as the first candidates in the accession process.

It has also said that the two countries, which are already in the middle of membership negotiations, could join the EU by 2025.

And Albania and Macedonia hope to get the green light to start membership talks in the coming months.

The two countries predict the Commission will declare in April that they have met the conditions for starting.

Then by June, the European Council will decide whether or not these two EU candidacy countries will have the option.
In this direction, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama during his visit to Brussels has told “Politco” that he strongly believes the Commission's report will be positive.

Albanian diplomats say they have identified France and Germany, the biggest powers of the EU and the Netherlands, whose country's chief minister, Mark Rutte, has voiced scepticism about enlargement dealt with as the countries to work for -- that is, to make a positive decision by the Council.

Serbia will not become an EU member before Albania. This is something we know for sure”, Rama was quoted as saying.

Serbia must pass through the painful process of recognising Kosovo, or at least [solution] of the Kosovo problem”, it has added.