’There are no shortcuts’ to EU integration

Every country that wants to become a member of the European Union "must fulfill the conditions," Natasa Pirc Musar, the president of Slovenia, tells Kathimerini, discussing the integration of the Western Balkans. Musar, who is in Athens for an official visit and met with her Greek counterpart, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, on April 8, also notes that "halting the progress of the candidate countries at all costs does not and will not contribute to the stabilization of the Western Balkans."

She also reiterated the need to maintain a united front toward Russian aggression in Ukraine. 

Much is at stake in terms of European challenges. Can the EU show more cohesion in the face of the geopolitical turmoil resulting from Russian aggression in Ukraine?

The question is not whether the EU can be more cohesive - it needs to be cohesive. I think the Russian...