"Gallup surveys find that residents of all six countries are more likely to say membership would benefit rather than harm their countries. This includes majorities in four of the six countries," the poll said, specifying that Albania and Kosovo had the most positive views on EU membership, with at least four in five people in these countries expressing support to the idea.
The survey also indicated that Serbian and Montenegrin residents were most pessimistic on the benefits of EU membership, with 40 and 49 percent of people approving an accession to the bloc. The share of Bosnia and Herzegovina's, as well as Macedonia's residents who support joining the European Union totals 59 and 58 percent respectively.
The Western Balkans Summit gathered EU leaders as well as the heads of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia (or Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, FYROM), Kosovo, Montenegro and Serbia for discussions of the ways to boost regional cooperation in order to make headway toward EU integration.
According to the European Parliament data, among the Western Balkan states, Montenegro and Serbia are the closest to becoming EU members, with 28 and 10 negotiating chapters open.
