Mazreku: Initiative for abolishing veto rights in EU Pre-Accession process in preliminary stage

Professor of European law in Pristina, Avni Mazreku, told Kosovo Online that the initiative launched by Slovenia and Germany to abolish the veto in the pre-accession process to the European Union due to bilateral issues with neighboring countries is in its preliminary stage.

"Every EU member state can block this initiative or put a veto on new memberships for Western Balkan countries," Mazreku states, adding that he views the initiative more in the context of the region's accession as a whole rather than the individual approach of countries.

He recalls that Slovenia once vetoed Croatia's membership due to redefining the border between the two countries and that the most critical issue between them was the nuclear power plant located on the border. As he notes, such technical and political problems for Western Balkan countries are always present.

"In the case of North Macedonia, there are open issues regarding the use of the Bulgarian language, and as a result, Bulgaria has a less constructive attitude towards North Macedonia's membership, while for Albania, the issue of the border between it and Greece remains open. In the case of Montenegro, there is dissatisfaction from Croatia concerning the demarcation of the border between them at Prevlaka, and there is also the issue of demarcating the border between Serbia and Croatia," Mazreku points out.

In the case of Bosnia and Herzegovina, he says, there is a threat of a veto from the Netherlands.

"One of the EU countries that can use a veto against Bosnia and Herzegovina is the Netherlands, given that it is known to have had a military contingent in Srebrenica, where the massacre occurred. The Netherlands is not satisfied with everything that has happened with the configuration of Bosnia and Herzegovina," our interlocutor assesses.