Finnish Minister: If Western Balkans Endorses Key EU Values, Then It Must Also Do Foreign Policy

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Finland has long supported the European journey of its partners in the Western Balkans, but it also expects them to fully harmonize with the foreign and security policy of the European Union and nurture its key values – human rights, democracy and the rule of law, Foreign Minister of Finland Pekka Haavisto has stated.

In an article that he wrote, Haavisto emphasized that the key values advocated by the EU applied on the member states, as well as on the candidates for membership, and that these values were also reflected in the Union’s foreign policy. At the same time, Haavisto pointed out that, when the applicant countries have done their share to meet the criteria, there should be no excuses to delay the process from the EU side, and also that bilateral issues should not be made part of the EU enlargement process or negotiations.

Haavisto assessed in the text that “enlargement policy has returned to the forefront of the EU’s geopolitical toolbox,” the Brussels-based portal Euractiv.com conveyed on April 5.

To illustrate, he cited that, since last year, three new countries had become candidates, the membership negotiation process had been kick-started with Albania and North Macedonia, and that, in recent weeks, Serbia and Kosovo had taken positive steps towards normalizing their relations.