Czech Republic to pursue EU enlargement to the Balkans during its six months presidency
The Czech Republic is due to take up the rotating EU presidency at the start of 2009 – at a particularly challenging time. The prospects of EU enlargement to include western Balkan countries are a point of controversy with some members fearing instability from the region and others pointing out that until the Lisbon Treaty is in force the EU should not take on more members. Michaela Jelínková from the Government’s Office for European Affairs outlines some of the challenges ahead and explains why the Czech Republic is committed to pushing ahead with EU expansion.
“The Czech Republic will definitely be involved in the last stages of accession talks with Croatia and we will also try to push forward the negotiations with other Balkan countries. Definitely Serbia is well on track, as you know. Progress has been marked in the field of cooperation with the International Court of Justice in the Hague and if more progress is made I think Serbia will do very well. As regards Cyprus, of course this is a very difficult issue, but both parties have just re-started negotiations this month and this will definitely influence progress in accession talks with Turkey.”
Clearly all would-be members will have to meet the political and economic criteria set down by the EU – but there is still fear of instability in the region. Others point out that the Lisbon treaty has not yet been ratified by all members, which could further complicate matters. Why does the Czech Republic feel it is crucial to press ahead with expansion in spite of this?
“We think that stability in the region is clearly linked to the perspectives of these countries gaining EU entry. So if we want to bring stability to the region it will have to be through EU enlargement – that is the plan we will pursue during the Czech Republic’s EU presidency. These countries have made significant progress and there is reason to think that more is to come. This concerns Croatia as well as Serbia. As regards the Lisbon Treaty, we have heard the view that the Lisbon Treaty is absolutely essential if we are to move forward on EU enlargement. But that is just one point of view. There are other opinions and the Czech government has said many times –and it is not alone – that it is possible to go ahead with accession without having the Lisbon Treaty ratified beforehand. So we feel that the Lisbon Treaty should not be an obstacle to – for example - accession talks with Croatia.”
“There is a common policy on Croatia and on Serbia as well. I do not think there is anyone in the EU who thinks that the Balkans do not belong in the alliance. There may be different views on the degree of progress made but I think that there is consensus that the enlargement process should continue if we want stability in Europe.”
