French President Emmanuel Macron has proposed the formation of a new political community in Europe, which would include Ukraine and the Western Balkans, while Germany does not want to be a “brake”, but has different views on the future of the region, Deutsche Welle (DW) said yesterday.
DW reports that Macron said on Monday in Berlin that the central part of that community would be the European Union(EU), because, in the current geopolitical situation, those countries that are not or do not want to be members of the EU could gather, and added that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called this idea “very interesting.”
It is an idea reminiscent of a privileged partnership, which the EU has long wanted to offer Turkey – as a kind of “consolation prize” instead of full membership, and Macron presented it at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, where the Conference on the Future of Europe was held.
It was also added that there is great skepticism in the EU, and especially in France, about the idea of further enlargement, and that Macron, just like his predecessors in the Elysee Palace, is instead advocating deepening the EU integration in its current composition.
According to DW, on Monday he also proposed a change in the EU Treaty, ie the abolition of consensus when making decisions concerning for instance, fiscal or defense policy. According to that proposal, decision-making is envisaged by a “qualified majority” of votes.
Despite the fact that German Chancellor Scholz reacted favorably to Macron’s proposals, the formation of a possible political union could lead to new conflicts: Ukraine insists on full membership in the EU and NATO.
After the meeting with Macron at the press conference, the Chancellor explicitly told that the idea should not lead to abandoning the EU perspective of the six Western Balkan countries – DW reports and reminds that due to Russian and Chinese influence in the region, Scholz last week advocated the entry of Serbia, Albania, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Kosovo, and BiH into the EU and as soon as possible.
Macron and Scholz reportedly emphasized the importance of cooperation with the six Western Balkan countries, Macron confirmed that during the EU presidency (until the end of June) he wants to organize a summit on the Western Balkans, and Scholz announced that he wants to force Berlin process aimed at establishing a common economic space in the region – a process started by his predecessor Angela Merkel.
When it comes to Macron’s demands to change the EU Treaty, Scholz replies that Germany will not be a “brake”. Nevertheless, in his opinion, it is possible to achieve a more efficient functioning of the EU in other ways, such as by abolishing the principle of decision-making in the Union by consensus.
It was mentioned that a number of EU countries opposed the French proposal on Monday. Among those 13 countries, there are the Scandinavian members, as well as Croatia, Slovenia, and Poland. The adoption of changes to the EU Treaty requires the support of all 27 countries, more precisely the ratification in the parliaments of all EU member states, Federalna writes.
E.Dz.
