The Renew Europe group in the European Parliament has hosted its annual Western Balkans Forum in Brussels, throwing its weight behind the region’s accession to the European Union.
The group said a shared message ran through the event: EU enlargement to include Western Balkan countries was described as a “strategic necessity for Europe”.
“Western Balkans countries belong in the EU,” said Bulgarian MEP Ilhan Kyuchuk, arguing that candidate countries share strategic interests with EU member states, including stability, security, democracy and prosperity.
Renew Europe said in a statement on Friday that it regularly convenes parties and representatives from the Western Balkans to discuss enlargement and reforms, and that participants backed efforts to strengthen democratic resilience and the rule of law in judicial systems and public institutions across the region.
It also said enlargement should be treated as a geopolitical priority but should go alongside EU reform so the bloc is able to expand.
Focus on democracy, rule of law and civil society
Democratic resilience should be “constantly nurtured” through joint efforts by candidate countries and the EU, with civil society actively involved, said Lithuanian MEP Petras Auštrevičius, who is a European Parliament rapporteur on enlargement.
Auštrevičius said the first Copenhagen criterion — the requirement for stable institutions that guarantee democracy, the rule of law and human rights — was an “unconditional commitment” and a prerequisite for further steps towards EU membership.
Participants also pointed to the role of civil society, media and institutional reforms in the Western Balkans, and called for ongoing institutional support for democratic actors in the region, Renew Europe said.
In concluding remarks, Austrian MEP Helmut Brandstätter said the group supported “the next generation of leaders” in the region in their efforts for dialogue, democracy and reforms.
