The EC intends to speed up the process of inclusion of the five Balkan countries — Albania, Montenegro, Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia, along with the Autonomous Province of Kosovo — as members of European Union.
This was disclosed by Die Welt, who obtained an EC document that will be presented in Strasburg on Tuesday.
"The EU membership of Western Balkans is in political and economical interests of the EU," the document states.
According to the document obtained by Die Welt, Serbia and Montenegro could become members of the European Union by 2025. The document points out, however, that Serbia will have to sign a "legally binding agreement on normalization of relations between Serbia and Kosovo."
The Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija unilaterally declared independence in 2008. That independence is not acknowledged by Serbia, as well as other European countries including Spain, Cyprus, Greece, Romania and Slovakia.
"The prospect of eventually joining the bloc has spurred the six western Balkan states into reform and conflict resolution since the Balkan wars of the 1990s," reported the Sunday Express. "However they have now become restless and begun looking for alternative partners, with Moscow presenting itself as an increasingly attractive prospect."
Serbia's first negotiations to join the EU began in 2005. Thirteen years later, Serbia remains a member candidate only.
