Minister Nickolay Mladenov: A pause in the process of EU enlargement in the Western Balkans could lead to the whole region coming to a standstill
01 December 2011 News
Today and the next few days are crucial to the future of the Balkans, and Bulgaria will play an active role in the process, Foreign Minister Nickolay Mladenov, in Brussels for a meeting of the EU External Affairs Council, said today.
In a letter to European Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Füle, Minister Mladenov expressed unequivocal support for a European Commission proposal to open membership negotiations with Montenegro.
The letter points out that the conditions are right for Montenegro to take the baton from Croatia and take the lead in the Western Balkans regatta in the name of the European future of the region.
Any pause in the enlargement process after the signing of the Accession Treaty with Croatia would lead to stagnation in the region, Minister Mladenov said.
For Bulgaria, it was also very important what would happen in the next few days in the dialogue between Belgrade and Priština.
We need to see progress in these, so that Serbia can take a step forward towards the EU, Mladenov said.
He hoped that there would be rapid progress in the talks, enabling the EU General Affairs Council and the European Council next week to give Serbia candidate country status.