German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has called on European Parliament and the European Union to keep its promises to the Western Balkans and speed up integration while also voicing support for continued dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia.
Addressing the EU Parliament on Tuesday, Scholz added that Ukraine and Moldova also have a place in Europe.
“Geopolitical Europe must keep its promises. Promises must be kept towards the Balkan countries, to which we have been promising membership for 20 years,” he said, adding that “we have told the countries of the Western Balkans, as well as Ukraine, Moldova and perhaps Georgia, that they have a place in Europe.”
On the topic of Kosovo and Serbia, Scholz said that efforts to normalise relations should continue, as must integration reforms.
Leaders and negotiation teams of the two countries are currently engaged in a thorny EU-backed dialogue process to resolve decades-long tensions caused by the 1998-1999 war and Kosovo’s declaration of independence in 2008, which Belgrade refuses to recognise.
Other issues on the table include the minority rights of Serbs in Kosovo, license plates issued by Belgrade still being used by ethnic Serbs in Kosovo, and the ongoing lobbying of countries and institutions by Serbia, against Kosovo’s inclusion and recognition of its independence.
“The negotiation process with North Macedonia must also be advanced. Enlargement should not be the only motive for reforms, but it should be taken into account”, said the German chancellor.
North Macedonia has failed to progress further than the EU waiting room as Bulgaria has conditioned further accession on changing the constitution to include the Bulgarian minority, something that cannot be achieved in Skopje’s parliament due to a lack of a majority.
Speaking on Europe Day, celebrated on 9 May, Scholz said that “the more united Europe is, the easier it will face challenges”.
“We should be even more open to others. We need an enlarged and reformed EU, a geostrategic EU. “We have rarely been more united than now in the face of Russia’s aggression [in Ukraine],” Scholz said.
The German chancellor also said that the EU is working to improve the regime of sanctions against Russia due to the invasion of Ukraine.
Kosovo’s President Vjosa Osmani also addressed EU values in honour of Europe Day. In a message, she emphasised Kosovo’s pro-European commitment and its determination for democracy, peace and the rule of law.
“These basic principles have been important pillars of the European Union since its formation, and it is precisely these values that Kosovo and its people have historically fought for and continue to defend today,” she said.
Osmani added, “Let us use this moment to reflect on all the successes we have achieved so far and to reaffirm our unparalleled will for new successes on the road to European integration. Kosovo and its people have been, are, and will always remain the embodiment of these values.”
Kosovo applied for EU membership in December 2022 but will face obstacles along the way, namely five EU member states, Cyprus, Spain, Romania, Greece and Slovakia, that do not recognise its independence from Serbia.
(Alice Taylor | Exit.al)
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