Foreign Desk Report
BRUSSELS: The European Union is “absolutely not in favour” of redrawing borders in Western Balkans, a spokesman of the bloc’s executive said on Monday in response to an unofficial diplomatic note proposing to break up Bosnia and merge Kosovo with Albania. The document, which has been seen by Reuters and has been circulating among EU officials, proposes incorporating parts of Bosnia into Serbia and Croatia to help the region’s EU integration.
The discussion alarmed Bosnians, who saw it as a threat to their country’s territorial unity, two decades after ethnic conflicts led to war in the region.
“We are absolutely not in favour of any changes in borders,” European Commission Chief Spokesman Eric Mamer told a news conference. Two former Yugoslav republics, Croatia and Slovenia, have since joined the EU. Montenegro, Serbia, North Macedonia, Bosnia, Albania and Kosovo also hope to accede. The EU says they must first settle their neighbourly conflicts and advance democratic reforms before they can join. But it is keen to keep close ties with the region on its doorstep where Russia and China are also building influence.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said separately on Monday after talks with Serbian President Alexander Vucic in Brussels that the EU wants to “continue to see positive developments in rule of law” in Serbia as part of accession talks.
The two discussed Belgrade’s talks with Kosovo, a country that used to be part of Serbia and the independence of which is not recognised by several EU countries, including Spain. The leaders of North Macedonia and Kosovo are also due in Brussels this week.
Von der Leyen said the bloc would support the construction of a railway between Belgrade and North Macedonia, which saw its hopes to formally start membership negotiations with the EU dashed last year after a veto from Bulgaria. Supporters of rewarding Skopje for settling its name dispute with another EU country, Greece, hope that a new Bulgarian government could reverse course but no swift change is likely given an ongoing political crisis in Sofia.
Earlier, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas has rejected a redrawing of borders in the Western Balkans along ethnic lines and the idea has been “put back into a drawer”. Speaking during a joint press conference with Kosovan President Vjosa Osmani, Maas reiterated that Germany opposes redrawing borders in the Balkans, which according to him “belongs to the past”, is dangerous and unrealistic.
A document proposing controversial border changes across the Western Balkans caused a political storm in the region and in Brussels last week by suggesting that the creation of a Greater Serbia, a Greater Albania and a Greater Croatia could help resolve national tensions holding up EU integration in the region. Asked by EURACTIV, European Council President’s Charles Michel’s office could not deny receiving the paper or provide any further comment.
“I want to emphasise that we consider unrealistic and very dangerous any ideas of drawing lines on maps,” Maas said. The German foreign minister also said recognition of Kosovo by Serbia will be one of the elements of the EU-sponsored dialogue and told the parties that compromises are needed to reach a solution. Read more.
“Of course, recognition of Kosovo will be one of the elements of the solution. It is normal to have compromises in the dialogue on normalisation,” Maas said during his official visit to Pristina on Thursday. “I don’t want to draw red lines. I know that because of the historical circumstances it will be difficult, and I don’t want to make the process more difficult, but in the end, solutions must be found for all issues,” the German minister said. In turn, Kosovo President Osmani said that the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia needs a “reset” and Priština will not “enter adventures on changing borders.”
