08.12.2014 All News
Report on the event hosted by the European Fund for the Balkans, Center for Southeast European Studies and the German Institute for International and Security Affairs
Brussels, 1 December 2014
Summary
Where is the European integration of the Western Balkans headed? Scholars, diplomats and members of the European Commission debated the future of the Western Balkans and the EU accession process at an event in Brussels on 1 December 2014. The event started with presentations by Florian Bieber and Marko Kmezić from the Balkans in Europe Policy Advisory Group (BIEPAG). Corina Stratulat from the European Policy Center as well as a representative from the European Commission, commented on the presentations. Policy recommendations gathered at the event include: Recommendations made to the European Commission- Stress that it remains committed to the enlargement process and emphasise that the process will be fair;
- Develop a communication strategy to convince EU member states and citizens of the benefits of enlargement;
- Do all it can to provide appealing incentives and clear benchmarks to the Western Balkan states so that sceptical political elites will also support the longer accession process;
- And bring out the voices of civil society both in the EU and the Balkans to point at common interests.
- Consider the next five years as a chance to make serious progress, thereby showing their commitment to the accession process;
- Seek to work across political party lines to build consensus regarding the accession process;
- And protect civil liberties, engage with civil society, and listen to their citizens’ voices concerning the accession process.
Background
The pace of EU enlargement has slowed in the past years and Jean-Claude Juncker’s remark in July 2014 that no new member state will be admitted to the Union in the coming five years has invoked a new debate on the future of the Western Balkans. The Balkans in Europe Policy Advisory Group (BIEPAG) in this light recently published a policy paper entitled “The Unfulfilled Promise: Completing the Balkan Enlargement”. The event in Brussels, hosted by the European Fund for the Balkans, Center for Southeast European Studies and the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, was an opportunity to present and debate the policy paper with policy-makers, diplomats and scholars both from the region and from the EU. Fabrice de Kerchove from the King Baudouin Foundation and Hedvig Morvai from the European Fund for the Balkans emphasised in their opening remarks the value of such a debate, the importance of keeping the Balkans high on the EU agenda, and the need to also export the debate on the enlargement process to the EU member states where increasingly decisions on the accession of new member states are taken and where many citizens are sceptical about further enlargement of the Union.Presentations
In their presentations, Florian Bieber and Marco Kmezić drew up scenarios for future relations between Western Balkan states and the EU, and warned of the negative effects that a slowdown of the accession process might have. They cautioned that the signal Europe is currently sending might lead to the alienation of some countries from the EU, as has occurred in Turkey, as well as the increased influence of non-European global players in the region. To avoid such a development, the EU should reinvigorate the accession process and, as far as possible, speed it up. The speakers emphasised the advantage of opening the accession processes to all countries of the region at the same time instead of differentiating between the more promising countries and those lagging behind. Opening the processes at the same time would create healthy competition between the states, underline the fairness of the process, and lessen the risk of states dropping out. The speakers furthermore recommended that the European Commission continue to show its serious commitment to the enlargement process and emphasise that the process will be fair. It should also develop a communication strategy to convince EU member states and citizens of the benefits of enlargement, they argued, as increasing numbers of EU citizens are becoming sceptical of the benefits of enlargement. Lastly, they argued that the Commission should provide appealing incentives to the Western Balkan states so that sceptical political elites will also support the accession process, even if it takes longer than initially envisioned.Main Points of Discussion
The discussion following the presentations was a discussion between scholars and policy-makers, as well as one between representatives from the Western Balkans and representatives from the EU institutions, and thus brought out a number of insightful points. It was emphasised that Jean-Claude Juncker’s remark that no new member state will be admitted to the Union in the coming five years should not be interpreted as a sign that the EU is no longer interested in the accession of the Western Balkans, but rather taken as an incentive to use the coming five years to push for reforms and present progress to the EU. It was furthermore argued that the reforms are in the best interest of the countries and their citizens themselves and not a mere tool in the accession process. Similarly, the transformation of the Commission’s DG Enlargement into DG Near (Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations) can be seen as an opportunity, as more staff will be working on the issue with a broader range of expertise, it was argued. A further point of debate concerned EU member states and their stance on enlargement. It was argued that a better communication strategy needs to be developed to convince member states and citizens of the benefits of enlargement. It was furthermore suggested that civil society in EU member states and Western Balkan states may share a lot of concerns and interests and that bringing out their voices in addition to the voices of the respective governments could also enrich the debate. An argument for greater connectivity of the societies, such as through education exchanges, was brought forward in this regard. Regarding the Western Balkan states, the importance of protecting civil liberties was emphasised as well as the more active engagement of political elites with the voices from the opposition and civil society. Progress in the accession process will only be made if the countries show a willingness to compromise and forge consensus for joining the EU. The likelihood of Russia gaining significant influence in the Western Balkans was argued to be rather low, yet there was broad consensus that it is crucial for all actors to communicate that they take the accession process seriously and are committed to it. Furthermore, it was stressed that the integration into the EU can stabilise the region and form an important part of the peace-building process. In conclusion, it was highlighted that the debate on the further enlargement process needs to be continued both in EU member states as well as in the Western Balkans, and that on both sides civil society needs to be informed and involved to a greater degree.Recommendations
Recommendations made to the European Commission- Stress that it remains committed to the enlargement process and emphasise that the process will be fair;
- Develop a communication strategy to convince EU member states and citizens of the benefits of enlargement;
- Do all it can to provide appealing incentives and clear benchmarks to the Western Balkan states so that sceptical political elites will also support the longer accession process;
- And bring out the voices of civil society both in the EU and the Balkans to point at common interests.
- Consider the next five years as a chance to make serious progress, thereby showing their commitment to the accession process;
- Seek to work across political party lines to build consensus regarding the accession process;
- And protect civil liberties, engage with civil society, and listen to their citizens’ voices concerning the accession process.
