The Balkans should start to produce good news
19 November 2011 News
The Balkans are not a priority for the EU at the moment and for this reason they have to start to produce good news. You have to realise that amid a financial crisis, it is difficult for the EU to think about foreign policy. This was said by Bulgarian Foreign Minister Nickolay Mladenov at a conference entitled “Southeast Europe in the Multipolar Era”, held today in Priština, Kosovo. According to Mladenov, the integration process in Western Balkans faces two dangers. One is in the relationship between Kosovo and the EU, which has led to the fact that it remains the only spot on the map of the Balkans whose place in the integration process remains unclear.
Another danger is a fatigue in the Balkans about expansion, where the euphoria among young people is giving way to nationalism and xenophobia. “However, we look forward to the moment when Kosovo and Serbia become part of the EU, which is very important for the development of the region,” Mladenov said.
He said that in practice, EU foreign policy had been born in its relationship to the Balkans, most particularly the case of Kosovo. “Thanks to this, the community now has a policy, which may be applied to influence the process in the Middle East and to be a factor there,” he said.
This afternoon, Minister Mladenov and his Slovenian counterpart Samuel Žbogar met the Foreign Minister of Kosovo, Enver Hoxhaj. “I'm glad to be here Priština at a conference on global issues, and not about the status of Kosovo,” Bulgaria’s Foreign Minister said during the conversation. He said that this was a good sign of progress in Kosovo's European integration. Mladenov said that he awaited a discussion in the EU on a road map for visa liberalization for Kosovo, which he hoped would be approved in the next few months.
Later, ministers Mladenov and Žbogar met the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Hashim Thaçi. At the meeting, Mladenov called on local authorities to strive to engage with the population in northern Kosovo so that progress in recognition of the status of the country is not hampered.