In light of Europe Day, celebrated on May 9, EU member states - and those with accession ambitions - reflected on the bloc's achievements and future plans for the union.
The day promoting peace and unity across the continent coincides with Russia, among other countries, celebrating the victory over Nazi Germany in 1945.
Global cooperation.
The war in Ukraine, trade and business disputes with China and
the United States, inflation - the EU is confronted with
challenges on many sides. Leaders of the European Union marked
Europe Day and discussed current topics on the bloc's agenda.
While on Tuesday Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz called for
more global cooperation on equal terms instead of striving to
turn the European Union into a third "world power" alongside the
US and China, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen
showed solidarity with Ukraine in Kiev.
European Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič spoke
in Slovenia about the EU's achievements regarding the single
market, the Schengen zone, the Euro and the Erasmus programme,
but stated that EU pioneer Robert Schuman's vision has not been
realised yet. "Europe has not reached peace," the commissioner
said.
The 9th of May turned Europe Day in Ukraine
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen sang Kiev's
counter-song to Russia's Victory Day when she visited the
Ukrainian capital on the occasion of Ukraine's first-ever
celebration of Europe Day. "It is here that the values we hold
dear are defended every day," the European Commission President
emphasised. But it was not only ideas and principles that were
discussed between von der Leyen and Ukrainian President
Volodymyr Zelensky.
Standing alongside the European Commission president, Zelensky
urged the EU to speed up ammunition deliveries, lift
"unacceptable" restrictions on Ukrainian grain exports and begin
talks on Ukraine's EU accession. "The time has come to remove
the artificial political uncertainty in the relations between
Ukraine and the EU," Zelensky told journalists during a joint
press conference.
After the talks in Kiev, von der Leyen made it clear that she
thinks Ukraine is deeply serious about pursuing its EU
ambitions. "I come out from this visit more impressed than ever
by the determination of the Ukrainians, despite the huge
challenges they face. We must continue to support them," she
told an AFP journalist acting as a pool reporter for the
European Newsroom.
Von der Leyen is set to brief EU member state leaders next month
and hand them a report in October on Ukraine's progress in
democratic and anti-corruption reform. At that point, the
members will have to decide whether to launch formal EU
accession talks.
There is much good will for Ukraine in EU capitals, but also
scepticism whether a country with such a troubled recent history
will be in shape to begin formal accession talks this year.
Brussels estimates that once they begin, the talks could take
six to 10 years, while Kiev is more optimistic.
EU27+: Promises, unity and fair enlargement?
"We said to the countries of the Western Balkans, Ukraine and
Moldova: you belong to us, we want you to become members of the
European Union," said German Chancellor Olaf Scholz during his
speech in the European Parliament on May 9. He added that this
was not about altruism, "but about credibility and economic
interest", as well as the effort to ensure peace in Europe,
especially after the turning point represented by Russia's
attack on Ukraine.
Scholz added that a fair enlargement policy meant fulfilling the
promises that had been given to all the countries of the Western
Balkans, which were promised the European perspective 20 years
ago. "A geopolitical Europe must keep its promises to its
neighbours," he said.
Spain, who takes over the rotating presidency of the EU on 1
July, marked Europe Day with events across the country. The
Spanish government aims to strengthen the EU's relations with
Latin America as, according to Spanish diplomats, Europe needs
to open up to "reliable partners" in order to guarantee supply
chains at a delicate time for the EU in geostrategic terms.
Stabilisation in the Balkans and countering both Russian and
Chinese influence.
European Union leaders had already vowed to strengthen ties with
the Western Balkans, a drive reinvigorated by Russia's war on
Ukraine, during an EU-Western Balkans Summit in December 2022.
The war has underlined the importance for the EU to bring the
Balkans into its orbit, to stabilise the region and counter the
influence of both Russia and China.
Spanish diplomacy has also made rapprochement with the Western
Balkans one of its priorities, as the country's Foreign Affairs
Minister José Manuel Albares outlined during a tour of Serbia,
Bosnia-Herzegovina, Albania and North Macedonia last month.
Slovenian President Nataša Pirc Musar also stated that she
believed in more Europe and was promoting it in the Western
Balkans, as she believed this would bring more stability to the
region.
Meanwhile, the celebrations of May 9 showed that the two
entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina have a vastly different
outlook on the country's future with regard to politics and the
pending EU membership: While the Federation of Bosnia and
Herzegovina celebrated Europe Day with numerous cultural events,
the Republika Srpska celebrated the day as Victory over Fascism
Day - like Russia.
The president of the Institute for Democracy Societas Civilis
Skopje, Marko Troshanovski, and Andreja Stojkovski, Executive
Director of the North-Macedonian independent think tank PRESPA
Institute, have a more critical outlook on the current
enlargement process. "Despite the urgency of the moment with the
war in Ukraine, which was expected to speed up the process a
year ago, there have been no substantial shifts in terms of the
enlargement. The EU does not have a comprehensive vision for the
enlargement, and there is neither interest among the member
states in the process nor in defining any deadlines for a new
enlargement," they told the North-Macedonian Media Information
Agency (MIA) on May 9.
The content is based on news by agencies participating in the
enr, on this occasion AFP, ANSA, EFE, FENA, MIA, STA and Tanjug.
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