Stojkovski: Antonio Costa’s messages signal that the EU is ready to admit new member states

The Executive Director of the Prespa Institute in North Macedonia, Andreja Stojkovski, told Kosovo Online that, judging by the messages delivered by the President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, during his visit to the Western Balkans, the European Union is ready to admit new member states. He added that this issue could also be discussed at the upcoming EU–Western Balkans summit.

“The message we keep hearing, namely that enlargement is very high on the agenda and has once again become a priority of the European Union, is that countries currently in the process should do everything they can to accelerate that process on their side. I believe that such an approach means that the Union, on the other hand, is ready to accept new member states,” he said.

Commenting on Costa’s messages to Kosovo, Stojkovski said that these are positions the European Union has consistently repeated and that they are focused on the formation of institutions.

“I think these messages are repeated almost constantly when addressing Kosovo. I do not see how there could be any departure from everything that has been said so far to all countries, regardless of whether they are in an election period or not. Conducting elections and ensuring the functioning of institutions are indicators of a state’s democratic capacity. I believe that this should be the main message directed to the authorities in Kosovo or to all political actors in Kosovo,” Stojkovski said.

Stojkovski added that he expects the same messages to be repeated during the EU-Western Balkans summit in Tivat. In addition, he said there is a possibility that discussions will also cover German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s proposal to accelerate the accession process of Ukraine, Moldova, and the countries of the Western Balkans.

“Since this will be a gathering of all political leaders from the region, there will probably be another repetition of the messages addressed to each of the countries. There will also be discussions on how to complete or consolidate the accession process so that countries can move forward. I also believe it will be mentioned that we should not waste time waiting. However, if discussions are already taking place and we are not aware of them, then I expect there will also be discussions about Merz’s proposal for a new way of integrating European countries into the European Union,” Stojkovski concluded.