With certain amount of pleasure the Serbian public has analysed the EC estimation that in 2009 Serbia can get the candidate status for the EU membership in case it realises cooperation with the Hague Tribunal and "tangible advancement" in reforms regarding the rule of law and economy. However, the absence of analyses of other countries is obvious, the analyses that do not imply the prospect of neighbours as competitors but co-workers on the same road towards the European family of nations.
According to the report, Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina are the states criticised by Brussels the most. Although it has had the candidate status since 2005, this time again Macedonia has not obtained the date for the beginning of negotiations on the EU membership.
Presenting the report in Brussels, Olli Rehn, the EU Commissioner for Enlargement, pointed out that Macedonia had made progress in judicial and political reforms but added that it had been "overshadowed by the weakness of political criteria fulfilment". European officials object to Macedonian incidents during early parliamentary elections and the lack of constructive political dialogue between leading political parties.
According to this report, Macedonia is the only country in the region that has made important progress in fulfilling the benchmarks of the roadmap for visa liberalisation, before all by biometric passports introduction. The EC has also noticed certain progress in the sphere of economics, war against corruption, and judicial and police reforms which Macedonia has been implemented. However, it was stated that corruption had remained the problem and therefore coordination between prosecutor`s office, police, and other security bodies has been recommended.
Regarding the Macedonian-Greek name dispute the Commission has specified "the actions that have negative impact on good-neighbour relations should be avoided and intensified should be efforts in finding negotiated solution under the United Nations mediation." According to some analysts, such formulation is the lame excuse of the European administration that has not managed to persuade Greece not to block the European road of Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
In contrast to the Serbian Chief of Diplomacy Vuk Jeremic, who believes that "Serbia, during the process of association, does not have the same treatment as the other states," and that the time has come for "the EU to stop setting conditions for Serbia," Macedonian leadership considers the Brussels` assessment to be the real reflex of what has been happening in Macedonia.
The State President Branko Crvenkovski has assessed that Macedonia should coordinate its future activities with what has been said in the report since it is the objective evaluation of the current conditions in the country. The Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski has added that upon the EC report analyses the Government would determine the strategy for overcoming weaknesses stated in it.
Although Albania and Montenegro have been evaluated similarly as Macedonia, Commissioner Rehn pointed out that they had been realising Stabilisation and Association Agreement provisions without problem but that they still had questions to be solved in the sphere of the rule of law and administrative capacity.
For Albania, the war against corruption and organised crime remains the main challenge as well as responsible judiciary and transparency in political parties` financing. Also noted in the report was limited progress in money laundering curbing as well as in drugs smuggling and human trafficking. The report has concluded that Albania had managed to realise uneven progress in the area of justice, freedom, and security.
Neighbouring Montenegro has also to carry through the justice reform. The EC report has observed that certain progress had been achieved in preventing money laundering but that the existing investigative authorities` capacities were limited. However, this report indicates that the drugs abuse and crimes connected with drugs have been on the increase and that Montenegro was still the transit country and the human trafficking final destination.
The Commission pointed that management and administrative capacities for the European integrations were still weak especially at the ministries level. Stressed has been the need for improvements in the sphere of urban planning and environment protection. It was noted that European standards had been achieved in the fields of human rights and protection of minorities.
According to Commissioner Rehn, in Bosnia and Herzegovina "within the last couple of months political situation has worsened" so that "necessary is political consensus that could lead to the European reforms improvement." Beside problems customary for the West Balkans countries, Bosnia and Herzegovina is also burdened by the problem of dysfunctional and inefficient state. Therefore, European officials are working on a strategy for the greatest strengthening and impact of the EU in Bosnia and Herzegovina. European officials have also frankly said that without constitutional reform, Bosnia and Herzegovina could not join the EU and added leading politicians of the country are responsible for reorganisation.
Beside the problem with corruption, judiciary, and organised crime, the report also emphasises the need for all the broadcasting laws application. It is said slight improvement has been achieved in realisation of the freedom of expression, freedom of peaceful assembly and association, as well as the freedom of religion.
Croatia, that is closest to joining the EU at the Western Balkans, according to Rehn, could end its membership talks by the end of 2009. Presenting "conditional road map" for the process, Rehn has added that "this, however, is not the blank check" and that "the ball is in the hands of Croatia." He has especially pointed out the judiciary reform and stressed, "Recent tragic events were the proof of the gravity of challenge that the country is facing in its war against organised crime."
According to the report, Croatia has to encourage greater spirit of tolerance towards the Serbs as well as to respond appropriately and protect those who could be the victims of abuse or discrimination, intolerance and violence.
Kosovo is still both regional and European problem, although Commissioner Rehn has announced the contractual relation between the EU and Kosovo through the process of stabilisation and association. This remains the challenge since five EU members have not recognised the independence of Kosovo. Though the Kosovo authorities have adopted certain number of laws, their implementation is necessary. Therefore, Brussels estimates that the main political challenges are strengthening of the rule of law, anticorruption policy, and war against organized crime and achieving of dialogue and reconciliation among communities.
* Jelena Milicevic is a freelance journalist
