European Forum

On 12 October, the European Commission revealed the much anticipated annual progress reports for the enlargement policy. The Commission recommended opening accession talks with Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia, but slammed Turkey for the country’s lack of progress and hard stance on the Cyprus issue.

Albania
The European Commission welcomed the work that is being done to transform the Albanian political landscape to a full-fledged democracy, but did cite unrest at the mayoral elections in May in Tirana to show that the situation is far from perfect. Furthermore, the commission once again pressed the parties to end the political stalemate that is keeping the parliament hostage. It also noted that the administrative effort to implement EU legislation needs to be enhanced.

Bosnia and Herzegovina
Although some progress was made in Bosnia and Herzegovina with regards to implementing EU law, the country was slammed by the commission for its ongoing failure to reach a compromise on the formation of a state-level government and a constitution in line with the European Convention on Human Rights. The current political make-up? of the country is seen as great hindrance in the speedy adoption of laws. The economy of the country is seen as too weak to deal with the competitive pressure from the EU.

Croatia
The Commission’s view of Croatia’s road to accession was positive. It believed that Croatia will meet all the criteria for accession before 1 July 2013, the projected date of entry into the EU. Progress was especially noteworthy in the fields of judiciary and fundamental rights, and competition.

Macedonia
The Commission concluded that Macedonia is ready to start EU accession negotiations, although it did not yet specify a date on which they could begin. Freedom of expression needs to be strengthened and corruption tackled, but overall the political landscape is in good shape. However, the rule of law is weak due to a fragile public administration, which in turn negatively impacts the business climate in Macedonia. Company, financial services and energy law have been brought in line with EU standards.

Montenegro
Montenegro has focused its attention on the seven key priorities that were set out in the annual report of last year. The European Commission deemed progress in all seven satisfactorily and thus the country is ready for accession talks. The commission did have some harsh words for Montenegro on the subject of law-implementation, which is seen as insufficient. The countries’ adoption of EU social policies is also lacking.

Kosovo
The break-away region of Kosovo was hailed for its efforts to try to implement EU legislation, but severely criticized for its failure to actually do so. Its failure to bring election fraud perpetrators to justice and to find a solution for the North-Kosovo question also worries the European Commission.

Turkey
The European Commission has voiced its frustrations over the lack of progress with respect to talks with Turkey. According to the report, the elections in June could have meant a fresh start for the negotiations between Turkey and the EU, but this has not been the case. The commission also worries over the harsh language that has been coming from Ankara regarding Cyprus’ upcoming presidency of the EU.

Serbia
The European Commission suggests to give Serbia candidate status. The country is being commended for getting its laws in line with the EU legislation. The arrests of former Bosnian Serb commander Ratko Mladic and former Croation Serb leader Goran Hadzic also play an important role in the recommendation of the Commission. See for more our earlier article.

 

Sources: European Commission, NRC Handelsbald, Image.