EU to push European integration in Western Balkans

During his first official visit to six capital cities in the Western Balkan region, Commission President José Manuel Barroso will encourage faster progress through a new free trade agreement. 

The two officials will travel on the following schedule and will tackle the following issues (among others): 

Zagreb, Croatia (15 and 16 February): Croatia has been negotiating its accession to the EU since October 2005. Based on the success of the screening process to date, the Commission has recently recommended to the Council that accession talks with Zagreb in the area of science and research should begin. Prior to his departure for the region, Commissioner Rehn said that it was important for Croatia to continue its co-operation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). 

One objective of the officials’ visit is to promote the Commission’s proposal for a new single trade area in the region. In its initial reactions, Zagreb said that it would rather stick with the Central European Free Trade agreement (CEFTA) and expand it. The proposed South East European Trade Agreement would replace CEFTA, which includes Bulgaria, Croatia and Romania. Sofia and Bucharest will be leaving CEFTA upon their accession to the EU. Meanwhile, Macedonia is about to enter CEFTA, and Ukraine is expected to follow suit. “We are still considering whether [regional trade co-operation] should be based on CEFTA or something else. I think that CEFTA is a possibility which we are considering carefully,” Rehn has said. 

Belgrade, Serbia-Montenegro (16 February): Serbia and Montenegro launched their SAA talks in November 2005, but they risk suspension on account of the non-co-operation of the Serbian authorities with the ICTY. 

According to Rehn, Del Ponte had expressed to him her discontent with Serbia-Montenegro’s co-operation with the Hague tribunal. In Del Ponte’s assessment, Belgrade is not responsive to the tribunal’s demands and has yet to arrest Ratko Mladic. Rehn has expressed the EU’s desire for Serbia-Montenegro to sign the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) before the end of 2006, regardless of the result of the referendum on independence in Montenegro, planned for April. Recent opinion polls show that slightly over 40% of Montenegrins support independence from Serbia, while 32% are opposed. Serbia, as well as the EU, is against the province’s independence. 

“Serbia must choose between a European perspective and the nationalistic past”, Rehn commented recently. Serbian officials have said that the country aims to become a full member of the EU in 2012. 

As for the Commission’s free trade agreement proposal, Serbia has welcomed it but said that it did not go far enough. “Free trade is a must, but it is not sufficient,” said Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Miroljub Labus in an interview with Transitions Online. “We need investment but there is not much investment policy in the paper.”

Pristina, Kosovo (17 February): Legally still part of Serbia, Kosovo is set to open direct talks with Belgrade on 20 February. The meetings in Vienna will be mediated by UN envoy Martti Ahtissari. Kosovar leaders will press for independence for the province, while the Serbian negotiators will stand firmly against. The ethnic Albanian leaders of Kosovo must have a “realistic approach” during the talks, Rehn has said. 

Skopje, fYROM (17 February): In December 2005, the fYROM (Macedonia) was granted the status of candidate country by the EU. However, Skopje will have to wait until the end of 2006 to learn whether and when EU entry talks can be opened. According to EU officials, the talks depend on the fYROM’s level of reforms. 

The fYROM “is not ready to start accession negotiations yet,” said Rehn. “The Commission is not rushing ahead to recommend accession negotiations before the country is ready. We will assess the situation regularly and will recommend opening negotiations only once a sufficient level of compliance with the Copenhagen criteria is reached.”

Tirana, Albania (18 February): Albania is close to finalising an SAA with the EU. The three-year negotiation process was concluded in early February and now the document is awaiting approval by the 25 EU member states. The signing ceremony is expected to take place in the middle of 2006. 

Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina (18 February): Bosnia and Herzegovina started negotiations on their SAAs in November 2005. The talks are reportedly developing well, and at the current level of co-operation they could be concluded by the end of 2006 

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