Have the article read by OpenAI (Beta). Please note that AI translations may take some time to process.Brussels (dpa) – European Union leaders will host their counterparts from the Western Balkans countries in Brussels on Wednesday for talks on deepening ties amid a contest for influence in the region.
Six countries in the Western Balkans – Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia – all aspire to join the EU and have been waiting for years to do so.
When and if they will become members is unclear, as the 27-nation EU has shown no inclination to rush accessions and the required reforms have only recently gained momentum in some countries.
This is despite the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine and China’s rising geopolitical ambitions giving fresh impetus to the EU’s enlargement process, the procedure to admit new members to the 27-country bloc.
Brussels wants to use EU membership as a carrot to compete with Russia and China for economic and geopolitical influence and has tried to reinvigorate expansion. However, advances have been incremental and slow.
In particular, the EU wants the Western Balkan countries to align with the bloc’s foreign policy objectives, especially in supporting Ukraine and backing Western sanctions on Russia.
Serbia – which has strong historical ties to Moscow, while condemning its invasion of Ukraine – has declined to impose Western sanctions on the Kremlin. Belgrade also imports a lot of Russian gas.
Chinese investment is also a major factor in the region, with Beijing vying alongside the United States and the EU for strategic relations, amid global geopolitical turmoil. (18 December)
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