The head of European diplomacy declared Thursday in Podgorica that the Russian aggression against Ukraine reinforces the need to integrate the Western Balkans into the European Union and called on Montenegro to speed up the reforms to lead the process.
The current dramatic geopolitical situation means that the integration of the Western Balkans has become a huge strategic priority and a geopolitical imperative”, declared the High Representative of the European Union (EU) for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, in a press conference in the Montenegrin capital.
Podgorica hosted this Thursday the 11th meeting of the Stabilization and Association Council with the Balkan country, a ministerial-level meeting that took place for the first time outside of Brusselswith the aim of demonstrating “the EU’s vocation for a common future”, according to Borrell.
Montenegro, a former Yugoslav republic with 620,000 inhabitants, is a member of NATO and a candidate for integration into the EU, which in ten years of negotiations opened the 33 chapters foreseen in the process, but with only three closed.
During the joint press conference with the Montenegrin Prime Minister, Dritan Abazovic, and the European Commissioner for Enlargement, Oliver Varhelyi, the EU’s foreign policy officer called on Montenegro to focus more on reforms in the judicial field and on the fight against corruption and organized crime.
Now there should be nothing more important for Montenegro than the path taken by the EU, especially at a time when there is an opportunity for the country to be a leader in accession negotiations”, stressed Borrell.
The head of community diplomacy also highlighted the total consistency of the foreign and security policy of the small Balkan state with the EU, including the sanctions against Russia for the invasion of Ukraine, and defined it as “one of the most intense signs of the Montenegrin politics. dedication” to join the block.
In addition to Montenegro, Serbia, a candidate in the negotiation process, Albania and North Macedonia, which are awaiting a date for the start of the process, Bosnia and Herzegovina, which has applied for candidate status, and Kosovo, are the remaining Balkan countries countries that have already declared their intention to join the EU bloc.
Source: Observadora
