EU Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos, said on Tuesday that the bloc remains concerned about the state of the rule of law in candidate countries in the Balkans—Albania, Serbia, Montenegro, and North Macedonia—even though there has been noticeable progress in this area.
“Interference in judicial procedures, pressure on officials investigating corruption, and the politicization of media regulators continue, which is unacceptable,” Kos said at a press conference.
She made these remarks after a meeting of the EU General Affairs Council, where ministers from several member states and candidate countries discussed the rule of law in the Union.
Denmark currently holds the presidency of the Council, and its Minister for European Affairs, Marie Bjerre, emphasized that the rule of law is now the EU’s most important value.
Bjerre said that during the discussion, ministers reviewed the state of the rule of law in Western Balkan countries, referring to the European Commission’s report on the issue published in July this year.
Ministers for European integration from Serbia, Albania, Montenegro, and North Macedonia also participated in the Council discussions, but did not comment on the outcome, according to the Beta news agency.
Kos stressed that EU members rely on the rule of law, which includes an independent judiciary, elections, and media, and that countries seeking membership but unable to guarantee a certain standard of the rule of law cannot join.
She further stated that the Western Balkans are now “at the center of the enlargement process” and that the rule of law guarantees them freedom and strength within that process.
“It is clear that if candidates do not respect the implementation of the rule of law in their countries, they will not be able to become members of the Union,” Kos said.
Notably, Kos did not mention Kosovo when speaking about Western Balkan countries. Kosovo applied for EU membership in December 2022, but its application has not yet been reviewed, making it the only country in the Balkans without candidate status.
While other Balkan countries remain stalled in their EU integration paths, Albania this week opened several more chapters, bringing the total to 28 out of 33.
Meanwhile, Bjerre and Kos also spoke about imposing additional sanctions on Russia, concluding that stronger European support for Ukraine and greater resistance to Russia are needed.
“Russia is a threat to the EU. We must show determination and apply additional pressure on it,” Bjerre said.
Of all Western Balkan countries, only Serbia has not joined the EU’s sanctions against Russia. Serbian leaders continue to maintain close ties with the Kremlin, despite calls from Brussels that, as a candidate country, Serbia is obliged to gradually align its foreign and security policy with that of the European Union.