EU Conclusions on Western Balkans: EU Membership Perspective without Tangible Progress

EU-Western Balkans Summit (BETAPHOTO/European Council/Alexandros Michailidis)

The European Council has expressed full commitment to the EU membership perspective of the Western Balkans and has called for the acceleration of the accession process – this was one of the conclusions that the Council passed at a summit in Brussels on June 23-24, but it did not recognize a single country's tangible progress on the path to the EU.

In its closing remarks on the Western Balkans, the European Council called for “a swift resolution of the last remaining issues” between North Macedonia and Bulgaria, so that North Macedonia’s accession negotiations “can be opened without delay.” The Council also reaffirmed “the urgency of making tangible progress in resolving outstanding bilateral and regional disputes, particularly the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue on the normalization of relations between Serbia and Kosovo.”

As for Bosnia and Herzegovina, the European Council welcomed a political agreement reached on June 12, 2022 in Brussels as necessary for the stability and full functioning of the country. The Council called on all political leaders in Bosnia and Herzegovina to swiftly implement the commitments laid down in the agreement, and urgently finalize constitutional and electoral reform, which will allow the country to advance decisively on its European path, in line with the opinion of the Commission.

At the same time, the Council underlined the importance of reforms, notably in the area of rule of law and in particular those related to the independence and functioning of the judiciary and the fight against corruption. It also called on its partners to guarantee the rights and equal treatment of persons belonging to minorities.