EU Strategic Compass Mentions Western Balkans  

EU-Western Balkans Summit (Photo: Beta/Nebojsa Tejic/STA)

The Western Balkan region is included in the EU Strategic Compass, which has been given the green light by the EU foreign ministers at a meeting in Brussels, and which mentions Bosnia and Herzegovina (B-H) and the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue.

According to the document, normalization of relations between Belgrade and Pristina should be “taken forward,” Radio Free Europe (RFE) reported in the evening on March 21.

In regard to B-H, the document states that it is of particular interest to support the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of B-H “based on the principles of equality and non-discrimination of all citizens and constituent peoples as enshrined in the B-H constitution,” as well as the reform process on its EU path.  

On March 21, the EU ministers gave the Strategic Compass for Security and Defense the go-ahead and are expected to endorse it a European Summit on March 24 and 25. “Security and stability throughout the Western Balkans is still not a given, also due to increasing foreign interferences, including information manipulation campaigns, as well as through potential spill over from the current deterioration of the European security situation,” it is said in the document.

The Strategic Compass is a future EU security and defense strategy, under which the Member States agree on a strategic vision of the EU security and defense role and commit to concrete and actionable proposals, with a very precise timetable for implementation over the next five to ten years.