Belgian Foreign minister heads to Balkans to support EU accession prospects
On Monday, Belgian Foreign minister Maxime Prévot begins a week-long trip that will take him to five Balkan countries: Montenegro, Serbia, North Macedonia, Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina. A first for the Foreign minister in the region, the mission aims to support these states’ prospects of joining the European Union.
“The Western Balkans are not at Europe’s doorstep. They are in Europe. Their security is our security and their stability is our stability. Some of these countries have been waiting for more than twenty years. It is therefore important to maintain a credible prospect of integration, but we also expect them to have the courage to carry out the necessary reforms,” emphasised the Belgian Foreign minister.
The mission will begin in Montenegro, the most advanced candidate for accession, where the euro is in circulation and which hopes to join the EU by 2028. In addition to his political engagements, Prévot will visit Lustica Bay, the luxury seaside resort developed by Belgian construction group Besix, near the Bay of Kotor.
The picture is far more mixed when it comes to Serbia, the second stop on the tour. Its proximity to Moscow and the lack of normalisation of its relations with Kosovo, among other factors, earned Belgrade another harsh report from EU institutions at the end of last year. The scope for progress regarding a shared strategic vision for the continent’s security is “wide”, according to the Foreign ministry.
Next up is North Macedonia, which will host its first high-level Belgian visit in a long time and will be encouraged to continue on the path of reform. Little progress has been made on the Skopje case over the past two decades, against a backdrop of tension with neighbouring Bulgaria over minority rights.
In Kosovo, in addition to political meetings, the minister will visit the five Belgian soldiers serving with KFOR, the peacekeeping force deployed under a UN mandate and currently numbering nearly 4,800 troops.
Finally, in Bosnia, the Belgian foreign minister will pay a visit to Srebrenica, where more than 8,000 Bosnians were massacred by Ratko Mladic’s troops in 1995. A place of remembrance that serves as a reminder of why stability in the Balkans remains a vital issue for Europe, the Foreign ministry emphasises.
Belgian Foreign minister Maxime Prévot © PHOTO JOHN THYS / AFP
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