TOLEDO – In a speech to the press following the informal Foreign Affairs Council (Gymnich) held in Toledo, Spain, the High Representative of the Union, Josep Borrell, announced the upcoming holding of a ministerial meeting with the ministers from the Western Balkans, as well as a high-level Belgrade-Pristina dialogue. on September 14. He also supported the EU’s enlargement policy, saying that Ukraine and the Western Balkans should become members of the EU.
Before turning to the Western Balkans, Borrell commented on the war in Ukraine and the situation in Africa, particularly Niger, which were the main topics of yesterday’s meeting. He then made two announcements regarding the Western Balkans.
“The Spanish presidency is proposing – and I think it is a good proposal – to organize a ministerial meeting with the ministers of the Western Balkans. We will do this at the end of next month, in collaboration with the Spanish Presidency and following other events related to the (Western) Balkans, such as the Berlin process. I think it is very important that ministers, under the Spanish presidency, take stock of what is happening in the (Western) Balkans, announced the High Representative.
He added that on September 14 he would organize a new meeting of the high-level dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia as a facilitator of this dialogue to seek solutions.
“The question of enlargement dominated our discussions. Ukraine must become a member of the European Union. The Western Balkans too. Quick,” Borrell said.
He considered that the war in Ukraine had a collateral effect of accelerating the enlargement process, which is certainly a process based on merit.
“A state will become a member when it fulfills all the conditions. But at the same time, I think it is good to have a political objective – a horizon – in order to give political impetus to the process. And also for us – because yes, we too must prepare for an enlargement which could add 10 additional members to the European Union,” said the High Representative.
So it’s more about preparing, especially Ukraine, which will need a lot of support, he added.
“But it is also, for the European Union, in a horizon which represents at the same time the achievement of the conditions – otherwise it will not happen – but proposing a horizon, a sort of “temporal objective”, could mobilize our energies. and the energies of the candidate countries,” concluded Borrell.