Current:Home > StocksKosovo-Serbia tension threatens the Balkan path to EU integration, the German foreign minister warns-DB Wealth Institute B2 Reviews & Ratings
Kosovo-Serbia tension threatens the Balkan path to EU integration, the German foreign minister warns
best strategies for lotradecoin trading View Date:2024-12-26 05:33:21
TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Germany’s foreign minister on Friday expressed the European Union’s deep concerns following the recent shootout between masked Serb gunmen and Kosovo police that left four people dead and sent tensions soaring in the region.
Annalena Baerbock was in Tirana, Albania at a meeting of foreign ministers ahead of the Oct. 16 summit on the Berlin Process, an initiative from Germany and France to encourage six Western Balkans countries to keep working toward membership of the bloc.
The foreign ministers of the six countries — Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia — are meeting with Baerbock, EU Enlargement Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi and other senior officials from the bloc.
“The foundation for mobility in the region is security and safety,” said Baerbock before the start of the meeting, adding, “The tensions within the last days between Serbia and Kosovo are also endangering this Berlin Process.”
On Sept. 24, around 30 heavily armed Serb men first killed a Kosovar police officer and then set up barricades in northern Kosovo before launching an hours-long gun battle with Kosovo police.
Kosovo has accused Serbia of orchestrating the “act of aggression” against its former province, whose 2008 declaration of independence Belgrade doesn’t recognize. Serbia has denied this, saying that the group acted on their own.
The six Western Balkan countries are at different stages of integration into the bloc. In 2013, Croatia, also a Western Balkans country, became the EU’s newest member. Since then, progress has stalled and there is no clear timeline for membership.
Baerbock said that “the way towards the European Union (should be) faster and deeper ... (and) the Berlin process is so crucial” in promoting connectivity and cooperation in the region.
The EU has not deemed the remaining Western Balkan countries’ economies and political institutions ready for integration into the EU’s single market of borderless trade and Western democratic ideals.
The war in Ukraine has put integration of the Western Balkans high on the agenda as the EU works to reinvigorate its enlargement process. Ukraine is also seeking to join the bloc, along with Moldova and Georgia.
___
Follow Llazar Semini at https://twitter.com/lsemini
veryGood! (111)
Related
- Jim Harbaugh wants to hire Colin Kaepernick to Chargers' coaching staff. Will the QB bite?
- ‘The fever is breaking': DeSantis-backed school board candidates fall short in Florida
- 3 people charged after death of federal prison worker who opened fentanyl-laced mail
- Sorry, Chicago. Yelp ranks top 100 pizza spots in Midwest and the Windy City might get mad
- NASA still hasn't decided the best way to get the Starliner crew home: 'We've got time'
- Who Are Madonna's 6 Kids: A Guide to the Singer's Big Family
- Little League World Series: Updates, highlights from Tuesday elimination games
- Lawyers for Alabama inmate seek to block his fall execution by nitrogen gas
- NASA Shares Update on Astronauts Stuck Indefinitely in Space
- Cute Fall Decor That Has Nothing To Do with Halloween
Ranking
- The State Fair of Texas is banning firearms, drawing threats of legal action from Republican AG
- FTC’s bid to ban noncompete agreements rejected by federal judge in Texas
- How well do you know the US Open? Try an AP quiz about the year’s last Grand Slam tennis tournament
- Stephen Colbert interview with Nancy Pelosi interrupted by protesters
- Collin Gosselin claims he was discharged from Marines due to institutionalization by mom Kate
- How do I take workplace criticism as constructive and not a personal attack? Ask HR
- 3 ways you could reduce your Social Security check by mistake
- The Story Behind Ben Affleck's Not Going Anywhere Message on Jennifer Lopez's Engagement Ring
Recommendation
-
Big Georgia county to start charging some costs to people who challenge the eligibility of voters
-
Meg Ryan Looks Glowing at Rare Red Carpet Appearance in Bosnia
-
PHOTO COLLECTION: Election 2024 DNC Details
-
Democrats get a third-party hopeful knocked off Pennsylvania ballot, as Cornel West tries to get on
-
Traveling? Here Are the Best Life-Saving Travel Accessories You Need To Pack, Starting at Just $7
-
Mall guard tells jurors he would not have joined confrontation that led to man’s death
-
How well do you know the US Open? Try an AP quiz about the year’s last Grand Slam tennis tournament
-
Utah lawmakers want voters to give them the power to change ballot measures once they’ve passed