European Council conclusions call for acceleration of W Balkans' accession

BRUSSELS - The European Council on Friday released a package of conclusions adopted at the December 14-15 Brussels summit, in which it reaffirmed "its full and unequivocal commitment to the EU membership perspective of the Western Balkans", calling for acceleration of the region's accession process.

"The European Council takes note of the (European) Commission’s Communication on a new growth plan for the Western Balkans, which aims to accelerate the socio-economic convergence between the Western Balkans and the European Union, based on strict conditionalities, and encourages the region to step up the pace of EU-related reforms and to advance regional economic integration through the Common Regional Market, based on EU rules and standards.

The European Council remains committed to advancing the gradual integration between the European Union and the region during the enlargement process itself in a reversible and merit-based manner," the conclusions said.

"Recalling the Granada Declaration, the European Council underlines that enlargement is a geo-strategic investment in peace, security, stability and prosperity. It is a driver for improving the economic and social conditions of European citizens, reducing disparities between countries, and must foster the values on which the Union is founded.

Looking ahead to the prospect of a further enlarged Union, both future Member States and the EU need to be ready at the time of accession.

Work on both tracks should advance in parallel.

Aspiring members need to step up their reform efforts, notably in the area of rule of law, in line with the merit-based nature of the accession process and with the assistance of the EU.

In parallel, the Union needs to lay the necessary internal groundwork and reforms, setting the Union’s long-term ambitions and the ways to achieve them, and addressing key questions related to its priorities and policies as well as its capacity to act. This will make the EU stronger and will enhance European sovereignty."

Endorsing the conclusions on enlargement of December 12, 2023, building on the European Commission’s enlargement package of November 8, 2023, the European Council took the decisions to open accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova, inviting the Council to "adopt the respective negotiating frameworks once the relevant steps set out in the respective Commission recommendations of November 8, 2023 are taken."

"The European Council also decides to grant the status of candidate country to Georgia, on the understanding that the relevant steps set out in the Commission recommendation of November 8, 2023 are taken," it said.

It also said it would open accession negotiations with Bosnia and Herzegovina once the necessary degree of compliance with the membership criteria was achieved.

It invited the Commission to "report to the Council on progress at the latest in March 2024, with a view to making a decision."

"The European Union is ready to complete the opening phase of the accession negotiations with North Macedonia as soon as it has implemented its commitment to complete the constitutional changes as referred to in the Council conclusions of July 18, 2022, in line with its internal procedures. The European Council calls on North Macedonia to accelerate the completion of these changes," it said.