Page 49 - bne IntelliNews monthly magazine October 2024

bne October 2024 Southeast Europe I 49
Grabar-Kitarovic compared her country’s sometimes slow and frustrating path toward EU membership – Croatia joined in 2013 – to the experience of the aspiring members from the Western Balkans today. She noted that Croatia’s stalling progress on reforms impacted public support for EU accession, with similar trends visible today in neighbouring countries. She said that "enlargement fatigue" is nothing new, but the current situation is even more concerning.
As the process of EU accession stalls, political vacuums are emerging in the Western Balkans, which are being filled by third-party actors – particularly Russia. Grabar-Kitarovic warned
that Russia’s interest in the region could be seen as an attempt to open another geopolitical front, diverting attention from the war in Ukraine.
She stressed that enlargement fatigue must be tackled through better public diplomacy to showcase the benefits of EU membership for both the candidate countries and the Union itself.
Rama argued that “the biggest promoter of expansion over the past two years
... wasn’t [French President] Emanuel [Macron], it was [Russian President] Vladimir [Putin] and this is the tragic optimism unfortunately because Europe needed Vladimir to attack Ukraine so that it no longer takes for granted that the Western Balkans is there”.
While pointing out that Albania has historically had less contact with Russia than any other country in Europe, he warned: “The region is a space where Russia has a lot of influence and before it's too late, we need to do some things differently”. He welcomed steps from the EU’s side, specifically the New Growth Plan to support integration
of aspiring members with the bloc’s economy.
Montenegro's former president Milo Djukanovic voiced similar concerns, highlighting the negative effects of the protracted accession process. He argued that the delay has resulted in public disillusionment, with many questioning whether EU membership is still a feasible goal. Đukanović remarked that in Montenegro, and throughout the Western Balkans, there remains a sharp
divide between the vision of a multi- ethnic democracy and the lingering pull of Balkan nationalism.
Djukanovic also pointed out that the West’s historical mistakes in dealing with the Western Balkans have created space for the resurgence of retrograde political ideas, such as the desire for ethnically homogeneous states. He further warned that Russian influence in the region seeks to exploit these divisions, undermining stability and threatening to push the region back into turmoil.
The contrasting perspectives at Globsec highlighted the region's deep frustration with the EU enlargement process. Enlar- gement fatigue threatens not only the prospect of EU integration but also the stability and security of the Western Balkans as a whole. as pointed out by several politicians at Globsec, Without renewed commitment from both the
EU and the Western Balkans, the region risks becoming increasingly vulnerable to external influence and internal instability.”
B9 Nato countries call for integrated air defence system to address Russian threat
Iulian Ernst in Bucharest
The Nato countries forming the Bucharest Nine (B9) format, meeting in Romania’s capital
city on September 18, called for a "joint air defence" system in response to the Russian “slow flying objects” (drones) that are increasingly violating allied airspace during attacks against Ukraine.
“This is a new reality that cannot be
left disregarded. We need a collective answer within Nato to challenges posed by modern weapons and technologies including through boosting our capabilities of detecting, identifying and, if necessary, engaging low and slow flying objects," a joint statement from
the B9 countries published by Romania's defence ministry said.
"The B9 states are deeply concerned about the repeated incursions of Russian drones and missiles into Nato airspace in Poland, Romania, and Latvia, as well as the escalation of tensions along Nato's borders," Romanian Defence Minister Angel Tilvar said, quoted by Kyiv Independent during a press briefing after the B9 meeting in Bucharest.
The B9 signatories called for the consolidation of Nato’s integrated air defence system in the region and for the
"fastest possible" implementation of the system through rotation in this regard.
''We support initiatives to utilise all available opportunities and resources within the EU and Nato to increase European air and missile defence capabilities. We reiterate the need for Russia's full compliance with international law, including the inviolability of Nato airspace,'' the statement reads.
The B9 format includes nine Central and Eastern European members of Nato and the EU: Bulgaria, Czechia, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia.
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