EU split over Serbia, Montenegro

European Union foreign ministers disagreed on Thursday over a proposal by the bloc's executive to push for expansion into the Western Balkans, a region still scarred by ethnic wars fought in the 1990s and dogged by a reputation for lawlessness.

Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, whose country currently holds the EU's rotating presidency, warned it was now or never for expanding the EU into the Balkans as concerns grow about Moscow's influence in the bloc's eastern backyard.

Last week the European Union unveiled its new strategy for the region, which aims to give membership to some states by 2025 but insists they must first resolve all border rows.

The frontrunners to join are Montenegro and Serbia, with Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo and Macedonia lagging, but all are getting impatient after the EU put expansion on hold four years ago.

"If there's no...