Credits: FEPS Europe via Flickr
Credits: FEPS Europe via Flickr
Credits: FEPS Europe via Flickr
Credits: FEPS Europe via Flickr
To the President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola,
To the President of the European Council Charles Michel,
To the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen,
Brussels, 30 November 2022
Dear President,
We, the Friends of the Western Balkans, a network composed of European social democrats’ members of national parliaments and members of the European Parliament, representatives of progressive think tanks and political foundations from the Western Balkans and the EU member states, have launched our initiative on 17-18 June in Sarajevo and gathered a second time in Prague on 14-15 November.
In Prague, while highly concerned by the long decline of the credibility of the EU’s commitment to the integration of the six Western Balkan countries (WB6), we have acknowledged that the upcoming EU-Western Balkans summit, scheduled in Tirana on 6 December, constitutes potentially the necessary momentum that both the EU and Western Balkan countries need for our common goals of stability and development.
Therefore, united as a single voice, the Friends of the Western Balkans urge the European institutions you represent to:
(i) Call Serbia to align with EU’s foreign policy and act as a reliable partner in the region, in particular in the resolution of the dispute with Kosovo with the EU mediation, and stress that the democratisation of Serbia is a key factor for the stability of the region.
(ii) Call on the European Council to follow the Commission’s recommendation and grant the candidate status to Bosnia-Herzegovina.
(iii) Express the will and support for Montenegro to overcome its current political deadlock and bring the country back on its path towards the EU.
(iv) Welcome the holding of the first intergovernmental conference with Albania and greet the patience of a country which has been the hostage of a prejudicial bilateral issue outside its borders caused by a member state.
(v) Welcome the organisation of the first intergovernmental conference with North Macedonia, acknowledge that the Western Balkan country’s specific path to the EU exemplifies what sacrifices have been made to achieve the goal, and call for Bulgaria to refrain from potentially impeding the following stages of North Macedonia’s integration process.
(vi) Appreciate the Czech presidency of the EU Council for moving forward with the long overdue visa liberalisation for Kosovo and call for a final and clear timeline by the European Council in December; welcome the upcoming application of Kosovo to EU membership and underline the constructiveness of Kosovo in the EU-mediated dialogue with Serbia.
Signatories:
Pictures of the meeting of the Friends of Western Balkans network that took place in Prague on 14-15 November can be found on this link.
The video statements of some of the participants in this meeting can be found on this link.
Friends of the Western Balkans network is supported by Foundation for European Progressive Studies (FEPS), the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) Dialogue Southeast Europe, Renner Institut, Masarykova demokratická Akademie, Kalevi Sorsa Foundation, Fondation Jean-Jaurès, Foundation Max van der Stoel, Društvo Progresiva, Olof Palme International Center, in cooperation with CeSPI.
Sarajevo hosts the first 'Friends of the Western Balkans' meeting – a newly established network of social-democratic Members of Parliaments and…
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Kupreška 20, 71000 Sarajevo
Bosnia and Herzegovina
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