The Prime Minister, António Costa, will be in the Western Balkans on Sunday and Monday to strengthen Portugal’s involvement in the European Union (EU) enlargement process, while these countries have been waiting for years to join.
European sources indicated that the still head of the Portuguese government will start his visit to Albania, arriving in the capital Tirana on Sunday, where he will meet Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama.
On Monday, António Costa, who is stepping down, will travel to North Macedonia’s capital Skopje, where he will meet Macedonian Prime Minister Dimitar Kovacevski, followed by lunch in Podgorica, Montenegro, with the country’s Prime Minister Milojko Spajic. .
The idea is to strengthen Portugal’s involvement with these countries regarding the enlargement, the same sources said.
As regards the Western Balkans, criticism is currently emerging within the community bloc over the “double standards” regarding the EU enlargement process, as despite the fact that the Union has developed a policy in support of progressive integration, these countries have for a number of years waiting to ‘join’. ‘.
In 2013, Croatia became the first of seven Western Balkan countries to join the EU, while Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia officially have candidate country status.
In the meantime, negotiations have begun and accession chapters have been opened with Montenegro and Serbia, in addition, negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia started in July 2022 and Kosovo submitted its membership application in December 2022.
António Costa’s visit also comes just a few days before a decisive European Council, due to take place in Brussels in mid-December, in which EU leaders will discuss the opening of formal negotiations on the accession of Ukraine and Moldova.
However, European sources have already warned that this approval could be blocked by Hungary, which is in favor of a strategic discussion on Kiev and has objections related to the Hungarian minorities in Ukraine and the suspension of European funds by Brussels.
This debate comes after the European Commission recommended in mid-November that the Council move forward given Kiev’s efforts to meet demands while imposing conditions such as the fight against corruption.
At the time, the community council emphasized that Ukraine must make progress, which will be assessed in a report to be published in March 2024.
It is this date that EU leaders will now take into account, meaning that, according to European sources, there will not be an approval for the formal accession negotiations at this summit in December, but rather at another one to be held in the first quarter of next year held.
Source: DN
