Supporting a European perspective for the Western Balkans
- Author(s):
- Parliamentary Assembly
- Origin
- Assembly
debate on 11 October 2022 (28th sitting) (see Doc. 15609, report of the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy,
rapporteur: Mr George Papandreou). Text
adopted by the Assembly on 11 October 2022 (28th sitting).See
also Recommendation 2237
(2022).
1. Strengthening
democratic resilience and respect for the rule of law and human
rights; promoting reconciliation and good neighbourly relations;
and creating the conditions for stronger economic and social progress
in the Western Balkans are a geostrategic investment in peace, stability
and democratic security for the whole of Europe. The Parliamentary
Assembly, therefore, firmly believes that helping Albania, Bosnia
and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Kosovo*
Note meet
their aspirations for closer European integration is important not
only for the countries concerned but for the European continent
and will benefit all European citizens.
2. In Thessaloniki in 2003, concluding a historic summit between
the Western Balkans and the European Union, the European Union reiterated
its unequivocal support for the European perspective of the Western Balkans.
The prospect of membership of the European Union acted as a catalyst
for addressing challenges and introducing reforms.
3. Since Thessaloniki, the commitment to enlargement has been
repeatedly confirmed at the highest political level, by both the
European Union and the political leaders of the region. The length
of time that has elapsed, however, and the failure to adequately
reward progress have sapped political momentum and public enthusiasm.
Surveys show that an increasing number of people in the Western
Balkans, especially among the youth, are pessimistic about the prospects
for accession to the European Union. The European vision is losing its
shine. In its place, ethno-nationalism has resurfaced, a very worrying
development in a region in which the spectre of violence still looms
large.
4. The past few years have witnessed a geopoliticisation of the
region, with the Russian Federation extending its political influence
through an array of soft power tools, including economic investments,
media presence, energy policy and vaccine diplomacy. Against the
background of the Russian Federation’s aggression against Ukraine
– an open affront to international law and European values – there
is a risk that this influence will be used as a wedge to deepen
fractures and lead to further destabilisation. It is thus imperative
not to lose focus on the Western Balkans, even if the need to support
the European aspirations of other countries, such as Ukraine, Georgia
and the Republic of Moldova, has emerged in the meantime.
5. The Assembly calls for a new impetus to be given to the European
Union enlargement process. In this context, it welcomes the opening
of accession negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia on 19
July 2022. It also commends the diplomatic efforts which have yielded
positive results in addressing bilateral disputes, including the
Prespa agreement between Greece and North Macedonia in 2018, the
agreement which led to Bulgaria waiving its opposition to the opening
of accession negotiations with North Macedonia in July 2022 and the
agreement on freedom of movement reached on 27 August 2022 by Pristina
and Belgrade in the context of the dialogue facilitated by the European
Union.
6. The Assembly also urges the Western Balkans to address with
resolve and without delay outstanding challenges, such as the polarised
political climate which often affects the collaboration between
political forces and sometimes leads to interinstitutional deadlocks
and conflicts; serious rule-of-law and good-governance issues, which
affect the independence and impartiality of the judiciary and the
functioning of the public administration; issues relating to the
rights of national minorities and minority communities and the persistence of
cleavages along ethnic lines which affect many aspects of life;
and problems relating to freedom of the media and media ownership.
Greater efforts are also necessary to strengthen reconciliation
and enhance civil society engagement.
7. Noting that the revised European Union enlargement methodology,
introduced in 2020, puts an emphasis on democracy, the rule of law
and human rights, areas in which the Council of Europe has an unparalleled
expertise, the Assembly believes that the Council of Europe should
redouble its efforts to help the countries of the Western Balkans
make tangible and measurable progress towards meeting the European Union’s
enlargement criteria.
8. Furthermore, the Assembly considers that the Council of Europe,
as a political organisation, should play a greater role in promoting
effective and inclusive regional co-operation, the normalisation
of relations and the solution of bilateral differences and disputes.
This should be done in co-operation with the European Union and other
like-minded stakeholders.
9. In the light of the above, the Assembly calls on the European
Union to:
9.1 give fresh impetus
to the enlargement process for the Western Balkans, rewarding progress
in compliance with criteria and sparing no effort to promote a climate
of trust and positive momentum;
9.2 in the context of their strategic partnership and taking
into account their common values and convergence of interests, intensify
political dialogue with the Council of Europe on how to accelerate
the European perspective of the Western Balkans, paying attention
to the ownership and sustainability of the reforms and the need
to involve civil society;
9.3 make full use of Council of Europe tools and expertise
in the fields of the rule of law, democracy and human rights, especially
in the context of benchmarking and the implementation of co-operation activities,
including in the context of the Horizontal Facility for the Western
Balkans and Turkey;
9.4 continue to provide financial support to the Council of
Europe for joint interventions in the region.
10. The Assembly calls on the authorities in Albania, Bosnia and
Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Kosovo* to:
10.1 work towards improving the political
culture with a view to ensuring collaboration between political forces
and institutions;
10.2 further strengthen the efficiency, independence, impartiality
and accountability of the judiciary;
10.3 further improve the functioning of public administration
at all levels of governance and strengthen the professionalism,
integrity and neutrality of the civil service;
10.4 step up the fight against corruption;
10.5 enhance the participation of civil society in political
decision making;
10.6 refrain from inflammatory discourse, including on ethnic
grounds;
10.7 protect and promote the rights of national minorities
and minority communities;
10.8 ensure freedom of the media and address outstanding issues
relating to media ownership, while being vigilant against disinformation
and other forms of interference with democratic processes, including
via the media;
10.9 be exemplary in promoting reconciliation;
10.10 further align with the Common Foreign and Security Policy
of the European Union, including in relation to the sanctions and
other measures taken in response to the Russian Federation’s aggression against
Ukraine;
10.11 support regional co-operation and rules-based multilateralism.
11. The Assembly calls on Council of Europe member States to:
11.1 support the efforts of the Western
Balkans to fully pursue their European vocation;
11.2 support the implementation of co-operation activities,
including at parliamentary level, aimed at ensuring that the Western
Balkans make further progress towards meeting the criteria for membership of
the European Union;
11.3 contribute financially to Council of Europe co-operation
activities in the region;
11.4 contribute financially to the projects of the Council
of Europe Development Bank targeting the Western Balkans;
11.5 promote, through their diplomacy, reconciliation efforts
and good neighbourly relations in the region.
12. As regards its own activities, the Assembly resolves to play
a greater role in supporting a European perspective for the Western
Balkans by:
12.1 holding debates
on promoting a European perspective for the Western Balkans, with
the participation of European Union officials and leaders from the
region;
12.2 stepping up interparliamentary co-operation activities
addressed to the countries concerned, aimed at enhancing democratic
resilience, institutional capacity, the ownership and sustainability
of reforms as well as civil society consultation and participation
in the political decision-making process;
12.3 developing initiatives offering the countries concerned
an additional platform for parliamentary diplomacy aimed at promoting
dialogue, reconciliation, confidence building and good neighbourly relations;
12.4 strengthening consultation, co-ordination and co-operation
with the European Parliament, including through enhanced political
dialogue and the organisation of joint events and meetings.
