By CEV Magazine team

Czech Chief of Diplomacy Karel Schwarzenberg has tried to convince his European counterparts to support the European integration of Western Balkans, organising an informal meeting in the Hluboka Castle by the Vltava river that once belonged to his aristocratic ancestors. Although Schwarzenberg`s guests were offered Moravian slivovitz and warm sweaters while spending time in impressive, but rather cold interior of the castle, negative attitude of some ministers regarding EU enlargement were not defrosted.

Despite the attitude of the majority that the process of EU enlargement should not be suspended, particularly toward Western Balkans, France and German insist on internal policy reform and global crisis effects` settlement first.

"There shall be no enlargement without Lisbon Treaty," said French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, while German diplomats have agreed on that as well.

However, Germany`s Foreign Minister, Social Democrat Frank-Walter Steinmeier has announced that he does not agree with the attitude of Christian Democratic Party (CDU) concerning the immediate suspension of EU enlargement process toward Balkans.

"I`m surprised by the CDU`s pre-election programme on the eve of European Parliamentary elections, which takes the stand that EU enlargement should be blocked as soon as Croatia approaches EU membership. But this programme is essentially fully committed to Western Balkans` EU perspective," Steinmeier said, stressing that "one thing diverges from another."

German and French negative attitude have been criticised by the Foreign Ministers of Luxembourg, Great Britain, Slovenia, Sweden, Finland and Lithuania.

According to Jean Aselborn, Foreign Minister of Luxembourg, promises given to the ex-Yugoslav countries and Albania must be fulfilled. He said that "the door was opened" in 2003 and that "if we`d close these doors, Balkan conflict could burst again," adding that "ordinary people on Balkans have not deserved that."

Foreign Minister of Sweden Carl Bildt has also opposed the suspension of EU integrations, for his country will take the presidency over the European Union after Czech Republic on July 1st.

"If we were to slam the door in their face, not that I say that that will happen, it will have devastating consequences for the region," Carl Bildt warned.

His counterpart from Finland Alexander Stub believes that the EU has an obligation to accept responsibilities and promised perspective, stressing that in years to come he sees Western Balkans in the EU. British Secretary of Foreign Affairs David Miliband has announced that "Great Britain`s position is absolutely clear" and that "the enlargement is in the interest of both the EU and Western Balkans."

Although it has been concluded that the Western Balkans may reach European perspective through the process of stabilisation and association in accordance with the Thessaloniki Agenda (2003), the Salzburg Declaration (2006) and the statement made in Brdo Castle near Kranj in Slovenia last year, this two-day informal meeting will certainly not be remembered as an event which has encouraged Western Balkans on their way to the European Union.

It has been confirmed that each regional country`s progress depends on their individual achievements and the strict fulfilment of the conditions, led by the political and economic reforms.

Despite the fact that the consensus on EU integration has not been reached, diplomats from Croatia, Serbia, Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Kosovo, Turkey and Albania were not discouraged after the meeting held in Czech castle. Serbia`s Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic underlined that Serbia does not give up either on EU integration policy, nor on territorial integrity and sovereignty defence.

"Concerning European perspective of Western Balkas, I believe that the message of encouragement is the only message sent from this meeting. We`ve determined that the situation is hard enough. We are all aware of the economic crisis and its influences on political area," said Jeremic, stressing that Serbia`s way toward the EU full membership status won`t be easy at all.

Jeremic emphasised that a large number of problems waits to be resolved in regional countries, which some of them are delicate and complex for Serbia, alike the Kosovo and Metohija status. According to his word, Serbia "will not give up on constitutional imperative under any circumstances," adding that it is not "in collision with our European plans and ambitions."

But despite all problems on Balkans, it seems that the European officials have focused on interior issues regarding the EU which may alienate regional countries from their EU full membership status for quite some time. Moreover, the situation in Czech Republic, whose officials support the EU enlargement, could aggravate European integration of Western Balkans.

The fall of Mirek Topolanek`s government has made the Czech presidency over EU more complicated, because the main political figure in Czech Republic now happens to be Vaclav Klaus, known as a Eurosceptic and the rapturous opponent of the Lisbon Treaty. That is another reason why the Western Balkans` European integration, the issue of which was considered to be the priority of the Czech presidency over the 27 member-countries, has been put now under the question mark.

Due to this situations, it is more likely that the Lisbon Treaty will never see the daylight, as some diplomatic circles estimate in Brussels, not only because of the uncertain epilogue of the repeated referendum in Ireland, but because there is a possibility that Czech Senate refuses to ratify the EU Reform Treaty, which has been already accepted by the Lower House of the Czech Parliament.