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The idea of French President Emmanuel Macron to create a political organization beyond the EU, which could include the countries of the Western Balkans and Ukraine, was supported by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
Germany and France want to further strengthen Europe’s ability to act, especially in foreign and security policy. Macron made his first overseas visit to Berlin in his second term. Both politicians assured that a signal should be sent to the countries of the Western Balkans to link them more closely with the European Union.
“We live up to our membership promises,” Scholz said. Macron came up with a new proposal, which he presented during a speech in Strasbourg, a few hours before his meeting with German Chancellor Scholz: The creation of a European body, whose members may also be non-EU countries. as countries of the Western Balkans, Ukraine or the United Kingdom.
Macron argued that the EU needs accelerated procedures to grant these countries candidate status, citing Ukraine as an example, but also countries in the Western Balkans that do not yet meet EU economic or constitutional standards, “but are ready to join us ”. This would require political formats. Although he considered the proposal interesting, Scolz stressed that the enlargement process should not be abandoned.
In his opening remarks, he reiterated his call for the lifting of the blockade, clearly addressing Bulgaria, but without mentioning the latter: “The current blockades must be overcome for the sake of responsibility to Europe and for geostrategic reasons.” Given Bulgaria’s current blockade of northern Macedonia in the process of opening negotiations, Scholz also underlined Ukraine’s European perspective.
Scholz and Macron warned they would hold a joint Franco-German summit with the Western Balkan countries in June.
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