Rupel: Balkan countries may not exclude each other from EU
The chairman of the EU Council of Ministers, Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel, said on Tuesday that the countries of the Western Balkans should not hamper each other's EU membership efforts, in a clear reference to the question of Kosovo’s status.
(KosovoCompromise Staff) Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Such a stand is a direct answer to Serbian President Boris Tadic's proclaimed objective of blocking Kosovo's membership once Serbia enters the EU.
Rupel said that when joining the EU, each country would have to sign an agreement requiring it not to prevent any other Balkan country from joining.
"If we want political stability, freedom and security in Europe, there's no alternative to the prospect of EU membership for the countries of the Western Balkans," Rupel said, adding that "this applies to both the EU and the countries of the region."
"When joining, each Western Balkan country would have to sign an agreement pledging that it would under no circumstances bar any other Balkan country from joining the EU," he added.
"This principle of inclusion is necessary, given the rhetoric we have heard lately and the approach of exclusion," he added.
"I'm referring to the false dilemmas that have been appearing in the media, such as 'if we have to choose between the EU and Kosovo, let's choose Kosovo,'" Rupel said.
