Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2014-01-15-Speech-3-629-000"
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"en.20140115.49.3-629-000"2
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"Mr President, the development of the Western Balkans has been so rapid that it is occasionally worth reminding ourselves just how far this region has come. Just 15 years ago the region was being torn apart by brutal civil wars which saw thousands of people killed or displaced, but now Croatia and Slovenia are in the European Union and we are talking about the accession of Serbia and Montenegro to the EU as a serious and realistic prospect, thus testifying to the superlative efforts of both the governments and populations of those countries, as well as to European and regional partners, in their efforts to promote economic development and integration.
Despite the immensely positive outlook in Serbia and Montenegro in particular, it is important for us not to get carried away by being over-optimistic. An examination of the progress reports reveals a mixed bag. While, as Parliament’s rapporteur, I congratulate Montenegro’s steady progress into the European Union club – and it is indeed now even negotiating chapters – the chronic and systemic problems of statehood and intercommunal relations in Bosnia-Herzegovina, for example, remind us of the many years of hard work that remain in this still fragile region.
Kosovo does give grounds for some optimism, with real progress made in the social and political arenas but, as November’s electoral violence in Mitrovica demonstrated, Baroness Ashton’s Belgrade-Priština agreement, though it is rightly to be congratulated, must embody the start of a process and not the end of one.
Certainly one country which deserves continued congratulations is Macedonia, although, as ever, the progress report reflects the deep frustrations about the entirely unnecessary paralysis forced upon this country’s European ambitions. Macedonia has come so far and does not deserve to be left behind. The so-called name issue is unsustainable and unfair, and I appeal to all sides to renew the momentum for ending the saga once and for all.
In all the Western Balkan countries we call for similar things, such as stronger targeting of corruption and fighting organised crime, deeper engagement with civil society, and broader rights for minorities and women and the LGBT communities. While these countries continue to progress and reform, we must do all that we can to help realise their citizens’ justifiable European aspirations."@en1
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