Merkel: Western Balkans' Thorny Path to EU

Angela Merkel/Vlada Srbije/Slobodan Miljevic

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has stated that the Western Balkan countries' path to membership in the European Union was "still thorny".

"There is a series of tensions that must be overcome, a multitude of conditions to fulfill, for all the countries of the Western Balkans to have fulfilled all the preconditions for joining the EU," Chancellor Merkel stated in a video message ahead of the summit of the Western Balkans and several EU countries in Poznan, Poland, the Deutsche Welle (DW) reported on July 3.

The best example of obstacles is the conflict between Serbia and Kosovo, DW assessed, recollecting that not even the recent initiative of Chancellor Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron had so far given new impetus to the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, which is at a standstill.

DW recollected that the Paris meeting on Kosovo, scheduled for July 1, had been cancelled due to Pristina's refusal to abolish the 100-percent import fees on goods from Serbia.

Pristina imposed the fees in response to Belgrade's partially successful diplomatic efforts in preventing Kosovo's membership in international organizations, such as Interpol.

This tension does not only obstruct the status negotiations, but also the introduction of the joint economic space.

Besides, DW stressed, the EU itself is not unanimous regarding the Western Balkans.

French President Macron, who will not be present in Poznan, recently stated that he would advocate no EU enlargement before its internal reforms are carried out.

On the other hand, Chancellor Merkel is not giving up on the Berlin Process, which she initiated in 2014 with the aim of supporting Balkan countries on the path to the EU.

As reported by DW, sources close to the German government assessed that it was uncertain what would happen with the Berlin Process after all the recent developments.