Commission moves for Balkan reform

The European Commission will next week (5 March) reaffirm the EU's commitment to enlarge to the countries of the western Balkans and will propose measures to help them accelerate the reforms necessary for EU membership.

The communication on western Balkans will present general trends and strategies as well as measures tailored to the specifics of each country in the region - Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia and newly independent Kosovo.

The EU hopes that Bosnia and Serbia, the two last countries in the region that have not yet signed pre-accession Stabilisation and Association Agreements will do so in the coming months, after they have met all conditions. Observers doubt, however, that the two governments have the political will to do so.

Kosovo is a special case because it is not recognised by all member states. It will not be able to participate in the current agreements but will continue receiving substantial aid from the EU.

Croatia is halfway through its accession talks, while Macedonia is eager to begin negotiations this autumn. Olli Rehn, the commissioner for enlargement, called this goal "ambitious but realistic" during a press conference with Macedonia's President Branko Crvenkovski in Brussels on Tuesday (26 February). Next week's communi-cation will include benchmarks which Macedonia needs to meet before membership talks can start.

Macedonia is also confident that it will be admitted into NATO, alongside Croatia and Albania, at the Bucharest summit on 2-4 April, but it will first need to accommodate Greek objections to its name, which Greece says implies territorial ambitions on Macedonia's part.

In its dealings with the country, the EU uses the name "Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia", or FYROM. Compromise proposals by a UN envoy are currently being studied by the two sides.

One element of the communication on Western Balkans refers to visa-free travel, a major issue for the citizens of these countries. Franco Frattini, the European commissioner for justice, has already begun talks on visa-free travel with Serbia, Macedonia and Montenegro in reecent weeks and plans to open such talks with Bosnia and Albania soon.

Rehn will visit Croatia, Montenegro and Macedonia on 5-7 March, just after the Commission adopts the communication on the western Balkans.

The European Commission will next week (5 March) reaffirm the EU's commitment to enlarge to the countries of the western Balkans and will propose measures to help them accelerate the reforms necessary for EU membership.