Without the Balkans, the union of Europe is incomplete

“Today the situation is such in the European Union. When a prime minister wants to lose the election, it is only enough to say too often and clearly, I want to membership Balkan states in the European Union”, he said. The “is an unpopular statement, to be blunt. ”

Verheugen said it is surprising that concrete dates are already mentioned. The “Ide was to become... the willingness to reform, for changes in these states, through the prospect of membership in the European Union. ”

It was thought that these states would be easier to solve their neighbourhood problems and that they would co-operate more peacefully, if they were together in the EU. In the meantime we have collected many experiences and with a single sentence can be said that disappointment and discontent on both sides are very, very large. ”

But without the states of the Western Balkans, however, Europe's EU union is not complete, Verheugen said. The alternative to inter-regional co-operation in the EU is not realistic: an inter-regional co-operation of Western Balkan states is rejected in the region as a kind of renewal of Yugoslavia.

Chiefs of state and government of EU member states meet this Thursday in Sofia with counterparts from Western Balkan states. The summit aims to encourage Serbia, Montenegro, Albania, Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo for further reforms. In the medium-term, they will have the chance to join the EU.