Tanja Fajon said that the Western Balkan countries should take advantage of the opportunity linked to EU enlargement “at full speed”.
Source: Tanjug
Slovenian Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon said Western Balkan countries should take advantage “at full speed” of the opportunity linked to EU enlargement.
Regarding European Council President Charles Michel’s statement that the EU and the Western Balkans should be ready for enlargement by 2030, and whether both sides could actually be ready for enlargement by that date, she says her answer to this question is very clear.
“The opportunity is there and we must exploit it at full speed. We must work to find sufficient political will in the Western Balkans for reforms and sufficient political will within the EU for enlargement,” he said. she underlined in an author’s text for “Politika”.
As she says, you have to focus on the final destination, without “neglecting the journey”.
“As far as the European Union is concerned, EU enlargement is undoubtedly back on the agenda. The geopolitical landscape clearly shows that there is no alternative to enlargement The war in Ukraine has increased the appetite for enlargement and confirmed the impression that EU enlargement “is a strategic necessity. Simply put, it’s now or never,” she said.
According to Fajon, this obviously does not mean that the EU enlargement criteria will be rejected and that the Western Balkans could enter the Union without them being respected.
“This means that more political attention will be paid to the region and Western Balkan countries will be asked to fulfill the criteria as quickly as possible. For the EU, this simply means a commitment to reform its decision-making process and to prepare in the institutional and financial sense of the EU,” she said.
According to her, the coming years will not be about perceptions or deception, but about the hard work of both parties, the Western Balkans and the EU.
“Such a reform will not be an easy task, but it is necessary. And it is as strategically important to the EU as enlargement. Skeptics will say that it is unlikely that all these tasks can be accomplished without delay. ‘by 2030. But the realistic point “There will be no better offer on the table for the Western Balkan countries, nor a better opportunity for the Union to improve and adapt to the new global reality ” she said. In the author’s text, Fajon also said that these difficult times require courageous leaders on both sides.
“Leaders who will look to the future. Leaders who will be ready to put enlargement at the top of their agenda and take the necessary decisions that will enable enlargement. The European elections will therefore be an important turning point in achieving the objective 2030,” concludes Fajon.