Kos: In the view of European integration, North Macedonia is a sad story of the Balkans

Skopje – If Ukraine waits as long as North Macedonia waits for the start of negotiations with the EU, then Ukraine would start negotiations in 2045. This is the sad story of the Balkans, along with Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina, says in an interview with Radio Free Europe (RFE), the European Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos.

In the interview, she expressed hope that by the end of her term as commissioner, Montenegro and Albania could become members of the European Union.

– You know, I come from Slovenia, which used to be part of this territory in a broader sense. So, in some aspects, the region was better 20 years ago than it is today. And there are two or three very sad stories. One of them is that Kosovo cannot move forward. Another sad story is North Macedonia. You know, if Ukraine waits as long as North Macedonia waits for the start of negotiations, then Ukraine would start negotiations in 2045. And, of course, there is also Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kos pointed out.

Regarding EU enlargement, Kos says that even when she was a candidate for commissioner, she stated that enlargement today is different from what it was five years ago.

– However, today I say that the enlargement process is different from what it was in January, because so many things have changed, including the new U.S. government. Geopolitics has changed in the sense that it was a priority before enlargement, but it was not so connected to the security and peace aspect. And again, somehow with today’s enlargement, we are returning to the foundations of why the EU was established. It was to ensure peace, freedom, prosperity, and today we could also add security. That is actually what we are doing throughout the process, said Kos.

She assesses that today it is very important not to fail in the enlargement process, which, as she says, is the most successful foreign policy of the EU.

– It would be a failure if we do not introduce a single new member into the EU during the current European Commission, and I am sure we can do that. We could do that with Montenegro. All chapters are open, so we are closing them so that we can complete the process by the end of 2026 from a technical point of view. With Albania, we could complete the process from a technical point of view by the end of 2027. Why do I say from a technical point of view? Because it is a negotiation process, and candidate countries must implement reforms, but then it is up to the member states to decide whether to become members or not, Kos says in the interview with RFE. (April 29, 2025)