Kacarska: Meetings with the new EU administration showed that the Western Balkans have not been forgotten

The director of the Institute for European Policy from Skopje, Simonida Kacarska, believes that yesterday's meeting with Western Balkan leaders highlighted the new European administration's commitment to enlargement issues. Speaking to Kosovo Online, she notes that Ukraine plays a key role, but that the Western Balkans have not been forgotten either.

Kacarska considers that the priorities of the new European administration are clearly defined.

"On the first day when the new European Commissioner Marta Kos took office, together with the President of the Council and the High Representative for Foreign Policy Kaja Kallas, they visited Ukraine. So, their first working day, as expected, was in Kyiv, which shows that Ukraine remains the focus of enlargement," she stated.

On the other hand, according to her, the Western Balkans are currently a "lower priority for the EU."

"Perhaps the term 'second plan' is not appropriate, but the Western Balkans are undoubtedly a lower priority due to the security situation surrounding Ukraine," Kacarska said, adding that yesterday's meetings with Western Balkan leaders demonstrated that the region is not being forgotten.

"These are still informal meetings. On our side, there were unilateral statements, there were no joint declarations, which means the groundwork and priorities are still being assessed. Kallas was, of course, focused on Serbia and Kosovo, while with Commissioner Marta Kos, we saw the same position as last week, that enlargement will remain a priority," Kacarska explained, adding that for North Macedonia, constitutional amendments are a condition that must be fulfilled.

She assesses it as good news that regional leaders were invited to Brussels as soon as the administration began its mandate.

"I think that is undeniable, which is why I mentioned the trip to Kyiv. European Commissioner Kos must demonstrate commitment to topics related to the enlargement process, and naturally, for the President of the Council, this format allows her to establish her stance," she concluded.