| Author (Person) | Bower, Helen | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Publisher | ProQuest Information and Learning | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Series Title | In Focus | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Series Details | 29.3.03 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Publication Date | 31/03/2003 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Content Type | News, Overview, Topic Guide | In Focus | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Whilst the phrase "an EU of 25" is frequently heard around the European Union (EU) as it prepares for enlargement in 2004, Europeans may soon be talking about an "EU of more than thirty" after the European Commission announced that countries in the Western Balkans are on course for membership. In its second annual report [COM (2003) 139] on the Stabilisation and Association process for the countries of South East Europe, approved on 26 March 2003 [IP/03/433], the European Commission recognised the progress made in the Western Balkans in the reforms needed for closer European integration. It suggested that Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Serbia and Montenegro could all become Member States in the future as long as the political will to do so remained. Background The creation of a Stabilisation and Association process for the countries of South East Europe was first proposed by the European Commission in May 1999 [IP/99/350] as a means of enhancing the existing regional approach to the area. The EU regional approach to the Western Balkans was developed in 1996, with the aim of reinforcing the successful implementation of the Dayton / Paris and Erdut peace agreements as well as creating an area of political stability and economic prosperity. In the light of the success of the regional approach, the European Commission sought to propose "a more far-reaching strategy to underline that all countries in the region have the prospect of increasing rapprochement with the EU, with the perspective of full integration into European structures". By establishing a Stabilisation and Association process, the European Commission hoped to combine both the development of existing instruments with new initiatives aimed at an improvement of the situation. New Stability and Association Agreements would provide a new kind of contractual relation with the countries concerned and each would be tailor made to the specific needs of the individual country. The key elements of the Stabilisation and Association process are:
More background information on the Stabilisation and Association process can be found in a European Commission press release [IP/99/350] issued on 26 May 1999. The DG External Relations website on Relations with South Eastern Europe also provides valuable information. The SAA process is underpinned by the EU's Community Assistance for Reconstruction, Development and Stabilisation programme (CARDS) which provides financial assistance to support the reforms and institution building necessary to implement the obligations in the Stabilisation and Association Agreements First Annual Report on the Stabilisation and Association Process At a meeting of EU government leaders and heads of state from countries in the Western Balkans in the Croatian capital of Zagreb on 24 November 2000, an agreement was reached on the establishment of a Stabilisation and Association process between the two regions. In the "Declaration of the Zagreb Summit" the South East European countries agreed to use the Stabilisation and Association process as the means to begin to prepare themselves for the demands of accession to the EU in return for the EU's offer of a prospect of accession on the basis of the Treaty on European Union (TEU) and the 1993 Copenhagen criteria and an assistance programme to support that ambition. A year and a half later, in April 2002, the European Commission adopted its first annual report [COM(2002) 163] on the progress of the Stabilisation and Association process, concluding that the initiative was producing the desired results. According to the report, the region was becoming more stable and its countries had embarked on an ambitious political and economic reform programme based on EU law and practice. In particular, the report noted the success in establishing contractual links and trade preferences. The report was accompanied by the by five country reports [SEC(2002)339-343], covering: Albania; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Croatia; Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY); and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (fYROM); which set out the Commission's assessment of progress, or the lack of it, in the key areas of political and economic development and capacity to participate in the Stabilisation and Association process. The European Commission's assessment is accompanied by recommendations for action in the course of the next twelve months, allowing for a further review to be carried out twelve months later. The purpose of the annual reports on the Stabilisation and Association process is to help governments, parliaments, business and community leaders, civil society and other interested parties across Europe to understand the requirements of the process and to help them focus political and financial resources on the key priorities. Second Annual Report on the Stabilisation and Association Process The second annual report [COM(2003)139] on the Stabilisation and Association process was approved by the European Commission on 26 March 2003. It reconfirms the perspective of an even closer relationship with, and ultimately membership of, the European Union, which was reinforced at the Copenhagen European Council in December 2002. The report welcomes the significant efforts invested by the countries of the Western Balkans in the Stabilisation and Association process, noting:
However, the report also reveals shortcomings and slow progress in the reform process in many sectors and in several countries, in particular in the implementation of agreements. It also notes the apparent lack of political will to implement the reform process, stating:
The report goes on to outline ways in the process could be further strengthened, drawing the countries ever closer to the Union in what can be considered a shared agenda for European integration. It also notes the links between the Stabilisation and Association process and the EU's CFSP in particular the EU's police mission to Bosnia Herzegovina and the EU's assumption of the NATO peacekeeping role in Macedonia. Commenting on the report, External Relations Commissioner Chris Patten, welcomed the considerable progress made in the three and a half years since he became Commissioner but warned that there was a need for a continued political will to proceed down the path to European integration:
Prospects for the Balkans after EU enlargement in 2007 With the stabilisation and association process well underway, countries in the Western Balkans are expected to feel increasing ties with the European Union after 2007 when Romania and Bulgaria are expected to join, thereby encircling the SAA countries within EU territory. However, the fragility of the region, highlighted by the assassination of the Serbian Prime Minister, Zoran Djindjic, and the serious problems of organised crime and corruption have led many analysts to suggest that it is already time for a new policy framework for the Balkans. Commentators claim that the Stabilisation and Association agreements, which to date have only been signed with Croatia and Macedonia, are not suitable instruments in the context of accession. Moreover, the financial support of the region is set to fall dramatically over the next two years, with EU funding alone dropping from €900 million a year to €500 million in 2005-2006. This combination of factors led the Berlin based organisation, the European Stability Initiative (ESI) to submit a report to EU High representative Javier Solana, warning that:
The ESI argues that there should be an institutionalised partnership between the European Commission and national and sub-national authorities and a more effective multi-annual programming of development efforts. As Greece, which has close ties with the region, is currently the holder of the EU's rotating presidency, the countries of the Western Balkans might expect more EU attention in the coming months. The Greek Presidency has already announced that it intends to give the issues in the Western Balkans a prominent place on the agenda of the Thessaloniki European Council in June 2003 at which progress since the Zagreb summit will be reviewed. The European Commission is also being called upon to come up with detailed proposals of its own to put the EU relationship with the countries of South East Europe on a more satisfactory long term footing. Yet since Croatia is the only country in the region to have submitted a formal application for EU membership it is likely to be several years before Europeans can speak of an EU of "thirty or more". Further information within European Sources Online:
Further information can be seen in these external links: EU Institutions European Commission News Organisations
Helen Bower 29 March 2003 Countries in the Western Balkans are on course to join the European Union in the future according to the European Commission's second annual report on the Stabilisation and Association process. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Countries / Regions | Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Slovenia, Southeastern Europe | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
