6 EU members write to European Commission: They want to help Western Balkans join EU ASAP

Austria, Italy, Slovenia, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Poland have sent a letter to the European Commission (EC) expressing their willingness to work to improve the process of the Western Balkans' accession to the European Union.

"We will work to ensure that effective work aiming for clear results and to secure consensus within the EU to open accession negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia in March 2020," the letter said.

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The foreign ministers of the six EU countries say in their letter to EC President Jean-Claude Juncker that the current accession process of the Western Balkans is "slow and uneven."

They also called on the EC to present concrete proposals by January 2020 on how to improve the effectiveness of the accession process as an instrument to support reforms and integration of the Western Balkans.

Photo: Tanjug/EU Photo

The ministers of the six countries state that the consolidation of Europe cannot be completed without the Western Balkans, and that the European perspective is a "source of motivation" for reforms in the countries of the region.

"Without a doubt, lasting stability and security as well as continuation of the reform process in the region can best be achieved through EU integration. The accession process is the most important instrument for achieving this goal and, as such, makes a key contribution to the security and progress of the Union," the letter concludes.

Previously, French Minister Amelie de Montchalin said that six EU countries had asked the European Commission to come up with proposals that would make the EU accession process more efficient and tangible, which, according to her, is complementary with the French proposal.

(Telegraf.rs/Tanjug