EU future is there, pace set by Balkan countries

BERLIN - The first conference on the Western Balkans has been held in Berlin, sponsored by the German government, and the leaders of the region were given support for their countries' EU integration, with an additional note that the pace of that integration depended on themselves.

Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel said after the meeting on Thursday, which included a Serbian delegation led by Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic, that she wanted a quick EU integration of the region, but that it depended on the Western Balkan countries themselves.

It is an important signal that all the countries of the region have a future in the EU and are striving towards EU membership, she stressed.

The conference was based on an idea by the German government on how to mark the 100 anniversary of the start of World War One, but also an anniversary of the beginning of World War Two and the end of the Cold War, she explained.

The fact that all 8 prime ministers, foreign ministers and ministers of economy sat down together is proof that great progress in the region has been made in recent years, and the European Commission and EU members wish to continue their assistance, she stated.

Belgrade and Pristina have made great progress, while Bosnia-Herzegovina faces the challenge of forming a government following a parliamentary election, she pointed out, adding that she expected further progress on both sides.

The fact that the Serbian and Albanian prime ministers established a contact was also pointed out as a kind of progress, she said.

European Commission (EC) President Jose Manuel Barroso underlined that the EC wants to see the countries of the Western Balkans as members of the European Union, but when this will...