Borrell Tells Western Balkan Leaders that Good Neighborly Relations, Dialogue, Compromise Are Key to EU Accession

Josep Borrell (BETAPHOTO/European Council/Alexandros Michailidis)

In a Sept. 25 meeting with the leaders of the Western Balkans, European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell stated that the region’s membership in the EU is “within arm’s reach” as long as each country continues implementing reforms and developing good neighborly relations through dialogue and compromise.

The informal gathering took place at the margins of the United Nations General Assembly in New York and included Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Denis Becirovic, Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani, North Macedonian President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova and Montenegrin Deputy Prime Minister for Foreign and European Affairs Filip Ivanovic.

“Borrell said that the Western Balkans are an integral part of Europe’s future. He stressed the importance and strength of the bonds between the EU and the Western Balkans and reiterated that EU membership is within arm’s reach, as long as key reforms are implemented with renewed focus,” the European Union External Action service said in a press release.

The EU high representative also took the opportunity to remind the region’s leaders that it is necessary to resolve bilateral disputes and to make “brave, strategic decisions” so as to progress toward European integration.