Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Friends,

Let me first kindly welcome all of you. I am glad to be with you tonight.

I shall begin with the topic that has lately become a live issue in the Balkan region. I refer to the statements of the President of the European Commission, Barroso and German Chancellor, Merkel, regarding the future  enlargements to the European Union, following the association of Romania and Bulgaria in January 1, next year.

I specifically named the Balkan region, because the new enlargement has not been the most favorite topic in Brussels and in some European cities for more than a year. The reasons of pushing aside the issue of EU enlargement are known to us. They are often connected with the constitutional crisis in the EU, negative poling results in France and the Netherlands, unsuccessful ratification of the Constitutional Framework in other EU member-states and increasing disappointment of “old” members with the behavior and development of some new members from Eastern Europe.

I have repeated on many occasions that the establishment of the European Community, nowadays the European Union, was the most exciting moment in the entire history of this continent. I am convinced that modern European leaders will retain a dignity that their visionary predecessors had, and find a way to get through the present constitutional crisis, which will clear the way for the continuation of the European integration process.

Last year, after one and a half years of commitment and work, the International Commission on the Balkans published a report - The Balkans in Europe’s Future. I was one of the Commission members headed by Amato, the former prime minister of Italy. I will not speak about this relatively short report with many findings, conclusions and recommendations. Let me just point out that the Commission supports the admission of all Western Balkan Countries to the European Union by 2014. The year of admission should be linked to the success of reforms in these countries.

According to my opinion, the European Union needs clearer agenda with more specific timing and stronger commitment to the integration of Western Balkan countries, even if the integration is conditioned by certain requirements that must be fulfilled. This agenda can imply a conditioned EU membership like it will be the case with Romania and Bulgaria. This process should take place regardless the reform within the EU, which became a priority. The EU reform will not be disturbed by further enlargements, in spite of the fact that the positive community law regulates the functioning of EU with a maximum of 27 members.

I think that such Agenda on the Western Balkan countries would instigate and encourage the reforms in these countries whose political elites will commit themselves to achieving their proclaimed goal – The European integrations.

From geo-political standpoint, all entities of the sub-region known as the Western Balkans have no other option but to become part of the EU. The Western Balkans has become a NATO enclave. In a few months, it will become a double enclave, surrounded by EU members.

The question is whether the EU will let the Western Balkan become and stay for a long time a “black hole” in Europe, surrounded by the new “Berlin Wall” or the “Shengen Wall”.  I said “for a long time” because I am convinced that the enlargement is a strategic goal of EU. It is politically and legally embedded in the documents of the European Council. This especially pertains to the Western Balkan countries. Therefore, their future association is not questioned at the EU closed meetings and public debates on the enlargement and future borders of European Union, inspired by the decision on starting accession negotiation with Turkey.

EC President, Baroso, has recently repeated in Sofia that the doors of EU countries are kept ajar to new members. He certainly did not refer to the countries like Norway or Switzerland that have already fulfilled all preconditions for EU membership.  However, this is not the case with the countries of Western Balkans.

It is good that the ruling political elites in all countries of the sub-region have committed themselves to the integration. It is important to say that the results of public surveys show that they enjoy strong support by their citizens.

Let me emphasize this - without strong EU support, the Western Balkan countries will not be able to solve numerous problems they are facing. Some of these problems are local and some are regional and I will not go through them. The most important once are listed in the aforementioned report of the International Commission on the Balkans. I want to add that the governments of the countries from the region must establish a fruitful cooperation, not only because it is one of the preconditions for successful EU association. It is necessary for strengthening trust among them and overcoming prejudices cause by bitter events that happened in the recent past. Finally, it is necessary because of numerous problems that are regional. These problems can be efficiently solved only through joined efforts. I shall mention only some of them - cross border crime, terrorism, ecological problems and infrastructural connections.    

We need more courage and strength for successful implementation of the reforms in all counties of the sub-region. Is there a political will to do that? It is to the interest of citizens in these countries. The European Union has faced enough problems after the last enlargement and will not allow further association of new countries with problems.
 
Lately, you have been discussing the emerging nationalism in the Balkans. I must proudly say that this evil has not found a fertile soil among the Macedonian people. I am proud that my people did not nourish nationalist feelings and hatred towards our neighbors, in spite of some difficult times in our history. Such times were during the embargo imposed by Greece and inter-ethnic problems in 2001.

      Thank you for the attention.