Western Balkans to agree free movement in step toward EU membership
Send a link to a friend
[October 21, 2022]
BERLIN (Reuters) -Western Balkan
ministers are set to agree on Friday on ID-free travel between the six
countries and on mutual recognition of university diplomas and
professional qualifications, taking a step towards EU membership. |
![](../images/102122PIX/news_r3.jpg)
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock
speaks during a conference of her counterparts from the six Western
Balkans countries, plus those from Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech
Republic, Greece and Slovenia, in Berlin, Germany, October 21, 2022.
REUTERS/Christian Mang |
"These three agreements clear the way for the creation of a
common regional market of the Western Balkans," German Foreign
Minister Annalena Baerbock said.
"By setting up this market, you are taking an important step
forward in the EU accession process," Baerbock said ahead of a
meeting of Western Balkans and EU officials in Berlin.
She added that the agreements would be formally signed at a
Western Balkans Summit in Berlin in November.
The European Commission last week recommended that Bosnia and
Herzegovina be granted the status of candidate to join the EU,
on the understanding that it reinforces democracy and takes
other steps.
Some Western Balkans countries' patience with the EU's waiting
room is wearing thin, and critics of the slow pace of further
enlargement of the bloc say it leaves space for Russia and China
to extend their influence in the region.
The Commission said Turkey as well as the five other Western
Balkan states - Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and
Serbia - which all have candidate status, needed to make more
progress in key reforms including rule of law, the fight against
corruption and media freedom.
Baerbock said it was a priority for the German government to
bring the Western Balkan countries into the EU to ensure
stability and economic progress in the region.
"I call on all of you to speed up your reforms in the interest
of your citizens," she told the Western Balkans foreign
ministers gathered in Berlin.
(Writing by Maria Sheahan; editing by Matthias Williams and Nick
Macfie)
[© 2022 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2022 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
![](column_spacer.png)
|
|
|