EU unveils new path to bring Western Balkans closer to single market

Austria, Italy, Slovakia, Slovenia, and the Czech Republic have called on the European Commission to revise its approach to integrating Western Balkan countries into the EU’s single market, according to Euractiv, citing an EU document.

The proposal is seen as a way to prevent the region from falling under the influence of Russia and China.

The document emphasises that maintaining the momentum of EU enlargement requires “strong and attractive incentives” for candidate countries, including Albania, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Montenegro.

“Merit-based access – if necessary, step by step – to the European single market represents such an incentive,” the document states.

It outlines a model of “systematic sectoral integration,” under which “gradual integration … should be actively and systematically pursued once a candidate demonstrates a high level of alignment with the EU acquis in the relevant sector.”

At the same time, mechanisms are in place to suspend access in case of deviations from European standards.

According to the report, the document proposes expanding integration to several new sectors, including transport, energy and electricity markets, the digital single market, competitiveness strategies, and policies related to critical raw materials.

Euractiv notes that this approach could serve as an alternative to a more radical proposal to grant candidate countries observer status in EU institutions during accession talks, an idea put forward last week by Albanian Foreign Minister Ferit Hoxha.

By Jeyhun Aghazada