TIRANA, Feb 5/ATA/- European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi will hold a press conference on a revised methodology for the European Union accession process on Wednesday. The press conference will take place following the weekly European Commission College meeting roundtable, which will begin at 9 a.m. The European Commission announced its own proposals for the new methodology of enlargement in December.
The Commission says the proposal has taken into account the positions of the member states and the “geostrategic interests of the EU”, but also the interests of the countries that want to join the EU. Commissioner Varhelyi says the new methodology will be based on four principles: credibility, predictability, dynamics and strengthening political leadership. It requires a more dynamic and credible enlargement process.
“We do not want to stop the enlargement process, but to advance the process,” members of the College say. The focus of the new methodology will be on strengthening the rule of law, strengthening democratic institutions and economic development. “These are the issues that affect the very essence of societal transformation in the Western Balkans,” Varhelyi said.
The Commissioner feels that Serbia and Montenegro should not apply this methodology, two countries that have already stepped deeply into the negotiation process. While Serbia has opened 18 of 35 chapters so far, Montenegro has opened 32 of 33. But it is expected that even in the negotiations with these two countries will need modifications and adjustments to the new and old methodology. Everyone in Brussels insists that the ultimate goal of the negotiations be full-fledged EU membership. According to Brussels, the new strategy will define the issue of chapters of the acquis/negotiating chapters, the issue of financing, the relationship between the rule of law and finance, the process of transformation of the Western Balkans.
The reform of the enlargement methodology comes at the time of the preparations for the Conference on the Future of Europe, as well as EU-Western Balkans Summit in Zagreb this May. //a.i/
