Čanak: “Waiting for EU accession without clear rules damages the Western Balkans and Europe as a whole”

 “Waiting for the Western Balkan countries to join the European Union, without clear rules and specific requirements on what we are expected to do, works to the detriment of the Western Balkans, the Balkans in general and Europe as a whole,” said the Chairman of the Committee on European Integration of the Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, Nenad Čanak*, at the European Parliament on 5 December.

“In this way, in a sense, the significance of the effort that has been put into reaching the EU and continuing the integration process is questioned,” Čanak concluded.

Speaking at the ‘High Level Roundtable on the Western Balkans European Integration Process’, held in Brussels, Čanak also pointed out that the Republic of Serbia has repeatedly demonstrated its commitment to the European path.

He drew attention to the fact that first the Western Balkans, and then the entire Balkans, is a very sensitive mosaically connected area that must be treated with extreme caution.

“Events and political developments in the Western Balkans know no boundaries. That is why we were all struck by the lack of opening negotiations with Northern Macedonia”, Čanak said.

In addition to the delegation from the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, delegates from the Western Balkans, the Commissioner for Enlargement of the European Commission and Members of the European Parliament also participated in the roundtable.

*Nenad Čanak is the leader of the Liga socijaldemokrata Vojvodine (LSV), a member party of EFA.