The European Commission (EC) is expected to recommend tomorrow the opening of accession negotiations with Albania. German media write that according to the Progress Report, the EC has positively evaluated the work of the Balkan countries and will support the expansion of the EU by recommending the opening of negotiations with Albania and Macedonia.
No specific date is mentioned for the accession of Serbia and Montenegro, which have been negotiating for membership already for some years.
Apart from its support for the Western Balkans, the Progress Report emphasizes that corruption, organized crime, democracy, the rule of law, and conflicts between the different countries are issues that remain to be addressed by Western Balkan governments.
If indeed the Progress Report presented tomorrow by High Representative Federica Mogherini and Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn recommends the opening of negotiations, this will in fact be for the second time.
Two years ago, in 2016, the EC Progress Report also recommended the opening of negotiations after “significant progress” on 5 key priorities: justice and administrative reform, fights against corruption and organized crime, and protection of human rights. The Report was only approved by the European Parliament after a long series of amendments, and failed to be adopted by the European Council after the veto of Austria.
As Exit argued before, it is unclear on which factual basis the EC has founded its “positive evaluation.”
