The President of European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker and the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the EU Federica Mogherini completed their seven-day visit to the Western Balkans region.
The visit represents a part of what is a formal process for membership for Montenegro, Serbia, Kosovo, Albania, Macedonia and BiH. Just 20 years ago, these countries were fighting between each other, as recalled by the prominent Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet.
The dilemma of EU is whether it really wants these countries as full members of the EU. The conversations are based on nationalist and corrupt countries, such as Serbia and Kosovo, and non-functioning BiH. All of this represents a risk for joining the EU. Moreover, it can also be dangerous for the EU to completely shut down for these countries.
For the EU, the Balkans region is now working on the selection of the smallest of the two sub-countries, including or excluding the Balkans from the EU. If there is no third path. None of the six Balkan countries are nowhere even close to fulfil the objective criteria of the EU for membership.
Will Serbia, which was ruled by the nationalist dictator Slobodan Milosevic only 20 years ago, be admitted to the EU? Will BiH, as a dysfunctional country divided between Bosniak Muslims, Croat Catholics and Serbian Orthodox, be able to create a functional state? And will Kosovo, which is not even accepted by several EU countries, will treat its Serb minority in the way the EU is requesting?
Only 20 years have passed since the war that took place in the Balkans. The violent extension of their own borders and territories as well as ethnic cleansing of their neighbours were much more important than economic growth, stability and prosperity. There is hardly anything that is more opposite to the EU’s ideals than the recent history of the Balkans region.
There are so many questions and problems. There are so many that, most probably, the EU will push them under the carpet and will not allow the entry of Balkan countries in the year of 2025 or the near future.
(Source: Radiosarajevo.ba)
