Czechia demands faster progress for Western Balkan EU integration

Czechia and six other EU member states are calling for the European Union to speed up the accession process for the Western Balkan candidate countries of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Albania. The new group of seven countries, which aside from Czechia and Austria also includes Slovakia, Slovenia, Croatia, Greece and Italy, is called Friends of the Western Balkans and was presented by the Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg at the Europa-Forum Wachau on Friday.

Addressing the other EU member states and the European Commission in a declaration signed by the foreign ministers of the seven countries, the Friends of the Western Balkans group called for "accelerated integration with concrete steps for 2024 and beyond", adding that the EU accession process was too slow, too complex and too bureaucratic. The signatories say the process has so far brought few tangible results for the people of the Western Balkan candidate countries, especially young people, which has led to disappointment and alienation from the EU.

The group stressed that the recent violent events in northern Kosovo have shown that unresolved tensions and long-term conflicts can undermine stability in the Western Balkans region, which is surrounded by EU countries. According to the APA agency, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský called for greater courage from the EU and the Western Balkan countries in solving unresolved issues.