Stabilisation and Association Process

The European Union's treats Western Balkans states as a wicked stepmother. While this has not significantly changed even after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it did trigger a fundamental debate on whether the EU wants at all to admit the remaining six Western Balkan countries (Serbia, North Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo) to full-fledged membership.

Belgrade – President Borut Pahor has noted in an interview with Monday’s issue of the Serbian newspaper Politika that the EU not wanting or being unable to establish greater presence in the Western Balkans will have consequences. He said he will continue to work for the EU accession prospects of the Western Balkans and expressed understanding for Serbia.

"I will come to Sofia as often as necessary in order to reach a decision (lifting the Bulgarian veto on North Macedonia's membership in the EU) by the end of June, we have no time, the war has shown us how important the European integration is."

Olaf Scholz called for accelerating the accession of the Western Balkans to the European Union, which has been blocked for years, mentioning a "new era" in light of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
At a joint press conference with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz promised to help advance the issue.

The agreement, he stressed, is an integral part of the enlargement process

After successfully enlarging to the south and to the east, the EU is in the process of integrating the Western Balkans, located at the very heart of our continent.

"I did not talk to Mr. Kurti, certainly not directly, we were at dinner together, we did not exchange a single sentence, we participated in a joint conversation, the atmosphere was correct, there were no provocations," said Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic.
She stated that various non-papers were mentioned during the dinner, but no details were given.

EU foreign minister will discuss the Western Balkans on Monday (10 May) to determine how to improve cooperation with the region, burdened by lingering nationalism, a weak economy and widespread disappointment with its fading EU membership prospects.

Germany and Slovakia have called for the EU to stick to the original plan of Albania and North Macedonia progressing towards eventual mem bership as part of one package.

It suggests that ideas that were once the exclusive domain of fevered reactionaries are now gaining traction and staying power among a constellation of EU governments, albeit largely illiberal ones.

That, in turn, gets to the heart of the matter: the EU has no coherent agenda for the Western Balkans.