The Balkans in the EU
I can’t claim to have read all the progress reports the European Commission has published on its Balkans aspirants for membership, but I’ve had a look and can’t help but express admiration and pleasure with the level of candor and detail Brussels has reached.
The overall picture is not a surprise. At least for now, Kosovo and Serbia are looking good. The incentives–a Stabilization and Association Agreement for Pristina and opening of membership negotiations for Belgrade–are strong. The April agreement between them seems to have set up a virtuous spiral. There is no internal political incentive for them to satisfy each other–in fact the rhetoric on both sides can get pretty harsh–but both are anxious to prove themselves worthy of moving ahead to the next level in progress towards the EU no slower than the adversary. Competition is a form of flattery neither would admit to, but both indulge in.
Montenegro likewise gets a pretty good grade, even if Brussels views it as sharing with Kosovo and Serbia a lack of capacity to implement all that is required in the acquis communitaire, especially in the rule of law department. This reflects not only the situation on the ground in the Balkans, but also EU priorities in the aftermath of the admission of Romania and Bulgaria. Not to mention the general reluctance to open the EU membership door anytime soon, except possibly to Iceland (which however is now hesitating to knock).
The Commission’s unhappy noises concern mainly Bosnia_and_Herzegovina, where only a vicious spiral is evident:
The political representatives do not share a vision on the overall direction and future of the country or on how it should function. There is no thorough internal political dialogue on fundamental issues such as the EU integration process nor any priority-setting related to it. The EU agenda has not been a priority for the political representatives of the country resulting in no progress in its European perspective. Short-term party or ethnic interests have been prevailing over a future-oriented policy of anchoring Bosnia and Herzegovina in the EU. The political deadlock in the Federation, which has been ongoing for more than one year, has a negative impact on the governance both in the Federation and at the State level. There is continued questioning by certain political players of the unity of Bosnia and Herzegovina as a single State.
This catalog of woes makes Brussels doubt that further pre-accession assistance will yield positive results, so the Commission is cutting back on funding and postponing negotiation of a new assistance, if I understand its bureaucratese correctly.
That’s refreshing, as is the Commission’s emphasis on a coordination mechanism that will enable Bosnia to speak with one voice in dealing with the EU. It makes no sense for the EU to want accession more than the Bosnians want it, and it is downright dangerous for Brussels to deal on accession issues with parts of Bosnia rather than the whole.
A tougher stance on offering carrots, and using sticks, is precisely what is needed. This will likely put Bosnia at the end of the Balkans queue for EU membership, but that is where it belongs if it isn’t willing to make relatively easy adjustments like enabling all of its citizens to run for president, regardless of which ethnicity they supposedly belong to.
Sadly, Bosnia may have some competition for last place from Macedonia, but not on the merits. A candidate for membership since 2005, Skopje has made good progress in aligning its legislation and public administration with the EU. It is laggard in the regatta for membership because the European Council has been unable to reach consensus on opening accession negotiations despite the positive recommendation of the Commission, starting in 2009.
The problem is its name. Greece objects, claiming that Macedonia belongs exclusively to Greece. I won’t regurgitate the arguments on both sides of this issue, as it is well known that I believe people should call themselves whatever they want. Estados Unidos de México and the state of New Mexico, for example. But not everyone agrees. Here is the current Prime Minister of Greece, as Culture Minister in 2009, claiming that Macedonia has territorial designs on Greece even while foreseeing with pleasure disintegration of his neighbor in favor of Greater Albania and denying the existence of Albanians (Chams) in Greece:
Hard to beat this for Balkans thinking about identity and statehood, and it is already inside the EU!
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I’d like to use this occasion to express my approval for Serbia’s current top political leadership, especially for Aleksandar Vučić. Skeptical by nature as I am, I have to admit that Serbia has not seen such a mature and capable political leader ever since the late prime minister Zoran Đinđić back in 2003. Although Mr. Vučić was my political opponent in the past, I have no problem to support the way he’s been handling state affairs so far. I just hope he’ll be able to continue in the same direction despite all actual and potential obstacles and pressure from various sides.
the mexico example wouid be great but fyrom will not call themselves nova macedonia,so whats your point?as for chams in greece,there are none.They were all expelled for collaborating with axis forces on WWII.tHE Albanians that live in greece are economic migrants.The disintegration of fyrom has already started,greece does not want to see this but i guess the slavic leadership in fyrom doesent either.
Peter, perhaps Greece should consider renaming Kentriki, Dytiki and all other Makedonias to just one entity – Nova Makedonia. Why such division among your Greek brethren – the Makedones to Kentriki Makedones, Dytiki Makedones and all sorts of Makedones?
Unfortunately for you, in the case you suggest, New Mexico refers to the entity which is not an independent state, while it is the state of Mexico which bears the name Mexico and is the sovereign and independent state with a name without any geographic suffixes or prefixes. Try to replicate it in the case of Macedonia and you might learn just how things should be exactly.
As for the disintegration of the Republic of Macedonia which has “already started”, I can just offer you a quote from Ms. Samantha Jones in one of the scenes of Sex and The City (The Movie:…Oh honey…you’ll be waiting a long time!
I hope, thanks to Mr. Serwer, you thoroughly enjoyed the video material containing the nonsensical monologue and hidden hysteria of your Prime Minister Samaras on the issue of “Skopia”.
What a disgrace for Europe, Greece nowadays has become!
get it thru your skull,without greek consent and a agreeably solution to the name built on comprimise from both sides you will be the last on that list to join both the eu and nato for a long time.
Peter, we couldn’t care less about EU and NATO when there’s so much to do with the rest of the world, including most EU and NATO countries themselves (except for Greece). In fact Macedonia is far better off out than in right now.
By the way, on the issue of “Greek consent” there is so much consent going on these days around Greece and its bankrupt economy and soul on the part of most other EU and NATO nations that they all seem to be getting tired of it on all possible fronts. EU is already fed up by Greek lies and ineffectiveness. Therefore, “consent by Greece” means little, if anything, to anyone, including to us here – the people of Macedonia.
Macedonia has received the verdict of the International Court of Justice which stipulates that Greece’s “veto” (as well as future “vetoes”) was (and will be considered) unlawful, so we are now looking forward to see how EU and NATO nations (who are extremely bound by the “rule of law” principles, including those of international character) react to it.
Finally, I wish you and your society quicker than expected recovery of your economy and the political system which is marred by the growing neo-Nazi political wing called Golden Dawn, which is silently approved by nearly two thirds of your morally decaying monotheistic, single-nation society, built upon a myriad of myths and illusions, even more than the societies of the ancient Greek city statelets.
ICJ ruling is worthless as it is not enforceable,AS for EU and NAto membership if your not interested withdrawal your application.As for the Greek economy and our “decaying”society even in these times of hardship we are still leaps and bounds ahead of your backwater of a country.
Ps
GOlden dawn got 6% in the last election and probably will get 4% in the next.
Whatever you say or do at the end of the day you will need to change your name as you did with your flag and constitution to move forward or the scenes today in struga will spread throughout the country.
You see a follow what goes on in my region I’m not like your. Fanatic ex pat that’s probably been to his country of origin once in their lives .
Peter, you claim your country (Greece) is still leaps and bounds ahead of my backwater of a country (Macedonia).
Is this before, or after each one of you in Greece pays back an equivalent of two whole apartments to your international creditors?!
And keep on dreaming…