Kos: There is room in the EU for everyone from the Western Balkans, there is no decision to freeze funds intended for Serbia

European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos said today that there is room in the European Union for all Western Balkan countries, but that candidate countries must fulfill their commitments in order to advance on the European path. At the same time, she stressed that there has been no formal decision to freeze funds intended for Serbia.

Kos stated that both the candidate countries and the European Union must fulfill their obligations in the European integration process.

“Today we will discuss key geopolitical topics, starting with the Western Balkans. I have a very clear message: there is room in the European Union for all Western Balkan countries. Enlargement is a priority for the European Union. If our candidates fulfill what is expected of them, then we must also fulfill our obligations. And we are doing that. As you know, after 17 years, for the first time we established a working group for an accession agreement for a new country. It is Montenegro. The latest Eurobarometer showed that the citizens of Montenegro are overwhelmingly in favor of EU membership,” Kos said.

Regarding the implementation of the Growth Plan, she believes it is progressing well and added that in the coming days the EU will disburse nearly 200 million euros to Montenegro, Albania and North Macedonia.

“We are also delivering tangible results when it comes to gradual integration. As you know, last week Serbia joined Albania, Montenegro and North Macedonia in the SEPA system. We are now preparing the EU – Western Balkans summit, which will be held in Podgorica on June 5. And I expect truly strong commitment from all Western Balkan candidates so they remain firmly on the European path,” she stressed.

Kos stated that she had never heard that funds intended for Serbia had been frozen.

“Indeed, this is very important for Serbia. A democratic Serbia has a place in the EU, and what we are now doing is continuously checking whether all beneficiaries of the Growth Plan funds meet the criteria. It is true that since the judiciary amendments several months ago, we have not made any payments, but no formal decision to suspend payments has been made. Therefore, if Serbia fulfills the criteria, and we hope it will. I think it is very important that when we have candidate countries, we are aware – and both our president and I have said this many times – that candidate status entails obligations on both sides. We expect progress from the candidate country, not regression in certain areas,” Kos concluded.