Borrell: Western Balkans have historic opportunity to link future with EU

On 1 May, the European Union (BE) marks the 20th anniversary of the bloc's biggest expansion in history.

In this case, EU High Representative Josep Borrell has said that the Western Balkans have a historic opportunity to link the future with the EU.

The European top diplomat has said that 20 years ago, the EU admitted 10 states to the biggest step in what is known as European reunification, and after decades of division since World War II that was the largest wave of expansion of this bloc.

“Anyway, our work of reunification of the continent has not been completed. 2022 and we know it better today, because of Russian aggression against Ukraine. In recent years, millions of Europeans have shown the will and hope of joining the EU project. The Western Balkans, Turkey, Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia have historic windows of opportunity to firmly link their future with the European Union. EU enlargement is a transformative policy that enhances security, justice and democracy, increasing European living standards”, Borrell has declared.

In addition, Borrell has added that the EU is working on reforming itself and that it aims at the larger but more powerful Union, stressing that candidate “states and the European Union have the historic chance to build a larger, deeper and stronger European Union”.

The European Union has marked this anniversary with several events and with the repetition of pledges for the enlargement process to continue, as it is one of the most successful processes the EU has passed in its history.

On this anniversary, European Council President Charles Michel has said that the European Union will not be completely without the EU integration of Western Balkan countries, but also Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyeen has also cited the current enlargement process as continuing the success that had occurred in 2004, when ten new countries joined the bloc.

She has said that now when viewed in retrospect, where the EU was and where those countries were 20 years ago, it can be said that this expansion benefited everyone. The countries then admitted to the EU experienced a great period of development, free movement and prosperity. But even old member states benefited, as a new market opened for them, as well.

Von der Leyen in one of the speeches dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the EU's great enlargement, also cited a statement by its predecessor at the time, the then former European Commission President Romano Prodi, who had said this big wave of enlargement should not be the last”.

On the 20th anniversary of the great expansion, European Council President Charles Michel has reiterated calls for the EU to carry out reforms to accept new members as well as countries aspiring to membership, to carry out their part of the work by meeting the criteria required for membership, Rel reports.

He reiterated that he believes that by 2030, both the EU and candidate countries should be ready for expansion.

While for the EU, Michel said it must complete institutional reforms and provide the financial framework for enlargement, countries aimed at membership must resolve their bilateral differences.

EU leaders continue to believe that continuing enlargement benefits EU strengthening and increasing its role on the world stage. Thus, enlargement is also seen as an investment in building peace and stability across the European continent, but also in coping with the challenges posed by new geopolitical circumstances in the world.

Waiting for the continuation of the enlargement process and requirements for this process to be accelerated, the EU is considering the possibilities candidate countries will include in certain policies and programmes of the bloc even before they become member states formally. But, at the same time, EU officials pledge that these arrangements will not be replacement for formal EU membership that remains the final goal of the enlargement process.