(Adnkronos) – Western Balkans countries could be driven “into the arms” of Russia if they fail to enter the European Union, making their accession to the 27-member bloc “a priority”, Italy’s foreign minister Antonio Tajani said on Tuesday.
“The reunification of the Balkans within Europe is a priority, and if we say no to accession, it means pushing these countries into the arms of Russia, which we cannot do,” Tajani told the lower and upper house of parliament’s joint foreign affairs and defence committees.
EU candidate countries must align with the bloc’s norms in 35 policy areas, or ‘chapters’ – from justice standards and corruption to farm and fishing rules: a rigorous process that can take many years. All 27 EU members must agree before each chapter of negotiations can be opened and closed.
Montenegro hopes to joint the EU in 2028 while Albania is aiming for entry in 2030, a date the bloc described last November as “realistic”.
In February, Tajani told a joint press conference with his Albanian, Bulgarian and North Macedonian counterparts that Italy strongly supports speeding up EU accession negotations for Montenegro and Albania as well as accelerating the bids of all the other western Balkan countries.
Montenegro began entry talks with the EU in 2012, Serbia in 2014, and Albania and North Macedonia in 2022. Bosnia-Herzegovina got a green light to start accession negotiations in 2024, but these have stalled due to deep political divisions and delayed domestic reforms.
