Analyst: European Political Community Innovative Yet Troubling Idea

Serbia, Eu flags (BETAPHOTO/European Commission/Etienne Ansotte/MO)

According to Strahinja Subotic of the European Policy Center, the concept of the European Political Community, which is holding its first summit in Prague on Oct. 6, is intriguing, ambitious, slightly confusing and even potentially troubling – should it happen to grow into a format that will satisfy the EU’s leadership to the point that they abandon further enlargement.

Speaking for the Daily European Service, a new service offered by BETA, Subotic said that it is not enough to state that the European Political Community will not supplant enlargement. In his opinion, the EU must also continue its internal reforms in keeping with the conclusions of the Conference on the Future of Europe while simultaneously devoting significant attention to enlargement, with a special emphasis on the Western Balkans.

“Therefore, should, in the imminent future, this initiative continue to deepen while enlargement is sidelined, we will have a problem,” said Subotic, a senior researcher and program director at the European Policy Center.

The analyst explained that it remains unclear whether the Community will have separate institutions and a separate budget, as well as whether its focus will remain on Russia “or if its interests will spread to other elements such as the economy – i.e. will, for example, Western Balkan countries be able to use this as means of obtaining additional funds.”

The European Policy Center believes that the European Political Community may add value to the integrations process, Subotic stated, but this value will be maximized only if the Union keeps reforming internally – including its enlargement policy – and continues considering how to integrate the Western Balkans into the rest of Europe as effectively and quickly as possible.