BRUSSELS, Oct 30 /ATA/ – The European Union’s High Representative and Vice-President Josep Borrell affirmed Wednesday that Albania remains fully aligned with the EU’s common foreign and security policy.
Speaking at a press conference after the European Commission adopted its annual Enlargement Package earlier today, the EU’s foreign policy chief noted that the number of candidate countries has jumped to ten since 2019 when there were only five EU candidate countries.
“This shows that the EU acts like a magnet that attracts people and the neighboring countries, which attracts people and states. As the European integration process advances, the citizens in the candidate countries reap tangible benefits, without having to wait until the end of the process. This is a process and the benefits are tangible along this process and people see these benefits on daily basis,” he noted.
Borrell mentioned the access of citizens from the candidate countries to Erasmus + and other research and cultural programmes.
The High Representative underlined that the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, Moldova and Ukraine, with the rule of law at the centre of the plan.
“Now we should also see stronger ties in terms of the common security and foreign policy, insisting on our values and standing firmly in protecting our values to ensure regional stability and peace in the EU, because the EU should not only become bigger, but also stronger,” he stated.
“We want to include all our neighbors and become stronger all together. And it is just impossible to maintain relations with Russia and try to do business as usual, while expecting for your country to become an EU member,” Borrell said.
“Over the years, you have seen that aligning with our common security and foreign policy is the most important indicator that a candidate country shares our values and our common political orientation. Some of our partners are fully aligned with our common security and foreign policy. I can mention Albania, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as Kosovo that aligns voluntarily,” Borrell stated.
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