German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul stated in Zagreb that Croatia can play a key role to accelerate the process of membership of Kosovo and the Western Balkan countries in the European Union.
During a meeting with Croatian counterpart Gordan Gllić Radman, Wadephul stressed that the EU enlargement process is not only technical but also geopolitical, and that Croatia, as the last EU member since 2013, has the experience and position to help in this regard.
“Croatia can be a crucial companion to give a new impetus to the EU enlargement for Ukraine, Moldova and the Western Balkan countries,” said Wadephul, the CDU politician, DW reports.
He added that EU membership is a geopolitical issue, warning against the influence of autocrats trying to destabilize the region through misinformation and corruption, without directly mentioning countries like Russia or China.
The membership process for the Western Balkan countries – Montenegro, Serbia, Albania, Northern Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo – has stalled. Montenegro is the most advanced, but still without a set date for membership.
Negotiations with Serbia and Montenegro have begun since 2012 and 2014, while with Albania and Northern Macedonia in 2022.
Bosnia has candidate status, but negotiations have not yet begun, while Kosovo remains potential candidate.
Wadephul stressed that the EU must be reformed from within to be able to face geopolitical challenges, while Croatia has a “essential” role to strengthen Europe’s cohesion and influence.
For his part, Croatian Minister Radman reconfirmed his country’s engagement in EU negotiations with the Western Balkans, adding that the region belongs to geopolitically and geostrategic Europe and that Croatia oppose the influence of third parties.
