Merkel Sees the Western Balkan States as EU's Future Members

Geopolitical arguments speak in favor of the entry of the Western Balkan states into the EU, the German Chancellor believes. German Chancellor Angela Merkel believes that six Western Balkan states will become members of the European Union in the future "for strategic reasons". "It is in the European Union's very own interests to drive the process forward here (preparation for the entry of the Western Balkan countries into the EU. - Ed.)," the head of the German government said on Monday, July 5, following a virtual Western Balkans conference chaired by Germany. Apparently, by saying so, Merkel hinted at an increase in influence of Russia and China in the region, Reuters reports. The strengthening of regional cooperation, which has been under way since 2014 in the framework of the so-called "Berlin Process", has already borne the first fruits - for example, the agreement abolishing roaming in the Western Balkans region, prepared with the support of the European Commission, entered into force on July 1, 2021. Who else supports the accession of the Western Balkan countries to the EU The July 5 conference was attended by the heads of government of Serbia, Albania, the Republic of North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Kosovo, as well as the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen. Commenting on the positions of individual EU member states on the prospects for the accession of the Western Balkan states to the European Union, Merkel recalled that French President Emmanuel Macron "quite clearly" spoke in favor of this step. For their part, Bulgaria and the Netherlands are more restrained in this decision. In Germany, in some cases, very high requirements are imposed on the Western Balkan states, the German Chancellor summed up.