Finally, EU accession talks with Albania and North Macedonia will get the green light. EU foreign ministers have now said yes to these talks. That is truly good news. Both countries took decisive steps towards meeting the conditions to start “negotiations” — not yet membership. As I dealt with both countries from 1997 onwards, I think I can evaluate the progress made. Yes, I have a special sympathy for all the countries of the Western Balkans. But I also see clearly the deficiencies of these countries and their political leaders. And I see these deficiencies even when I consider our own mistakes and problems in most member countries. Both countries — like the other candidate countries Serbia and Montenegro — lost much time due to a lack of reforms and internal political disputes. But let us not speak about the past but instead look toward the future. And both governments present in power in Albania and North Macedonia have made decisive progress on many reforms necessary for future EU membership.
The future, however, will not be easy. Accession negotiations will take many years — even with many reforms and structural changes undertaken by the countries concerned. And there are still many open questions in all countries of the Western Balkans. Short-term political interests too often take prominence over necessary reforms and public scrutiny. As a result, NGOs must be involved either by the governments themselves or by EU representatives in order to put pressure on the governments to do their job. Even if some countries inside the EU are deviating from the democratic path, the EU must insist on developing robust democracies. Democracy is still the best guardian of citizens’ rights and aspirations. Democracy cannot be combined with authoritarian rule, but it can be led by leaders with authority. We should not confuse the two.
And democracy is no obstacle to developing a sound economic, social, and environmental reform program. Especially in times of a severe health crisis across Europe and the world, we have to think about the basic needs of citizens. Economic growth is good, but parallel to economic reforms, we need to improve the environment and establish an efficient health system. And this should not only be the task of Western Balkan governments but of the entire EU community.
In general we must stop thinking of the Balkan region as some separate part of Europe that may at some later point join the EU. Already now and throughout the accession talks with the Western Balkan countries, these countries should be invited to cooperate closely concerning all the issues that are vital for our common future: the health of our citizens, security, migration, infrastructure, and more. These are all common issues and should be dealt with commonly.
The accession process should be a smooth sliding-in and integration into the EU, step by step. This is also the main message of the project Vision 2030 - Young Generation for the New Balkans, in which the IIP continues to be a major facilitator. And in this sense, we will continue our work and observe the upcoming developments carefully, especially from the point of view of the younger generation that desperately needs a better future.
Dr. Hannes Swoboda, President of the International Institute for Peace (IP), started his career in urban politics in Vienna and was elected member of the European Parliament in 1996. He was Vice President of the Social Democrat Group until 2012 und then President until 2014. He was particularly engaged in foreign, enlargement, and neighborhood policies. Swoboda is also President of the Vienna Institute for International Economics, the Centre of Architecture, the University for Applied Science - Campus Vienna, and the Sir Peter Ustinov Institute.