Member state of the European Union

The European Union on Friday told six Western Balkan nations seeking membership that they would have to implement difficult reforms before they can be allowed to join the wealthy bloc, according to Reuters. 

BELGRADE - The process of European unification, which began in 1989, will only be complete with the accession of the Western Balkans to the EU, European Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn said in Belgrade Thursday.

In an editorial, citied by Sputnik, the Financial Times also said that the EU should not "step back" - otherwise Russia and Turkey would "fill the gap."

BELGRADE - The fact that 2025 is being mentioned as the year of Serbia's potential EU accession does not mean it will actually happen if Serbia fails to meet the requirements from the negotiation framework with EU member states, which clearly outlines its roadmap to the EU, says Vladimir Medjak of the European Movement in Serbia.

This "confirmed the European future of the region as a geostrategic investment in a stable, strong and united Europe based on common values," the EC said in a press release.

In an interview for Germany's Spiegel, Hahn referred to the country as "Macedonia" instead of "the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FRYOM)" - as he should have done, considering that the EU recognizes it under the latter name.

LONDON - The EU will hold out the prospect of membership to W. Balkan candidates by 2025 as it seeks to "breathe new life into enlargement of the bloc, strengthen controls on migration, and counter Russian influence in the volatile region," the Financial Times said in an article published ahead of the unveiling of the EC's enlargement strategy.

The European Council will also consider a new enlargement strategy.

The remarks of Spain, which strongly opposes to any kind of indication of statehood in reference to Kosovo on its European path, are likely to shortly find themselves before the heads of state and government of the European Union, the daily Vecernje Novosti said it learned.

Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann announced against the adoption of Bulgaria in the Schengen zone, BNR announced. According to him, this is also the position of his Christian Social Union, the Bavarian partner of the ruling German Christian Democratic Union of Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Poland will not make any concessions in its dispute with the European Union over the country's judicial reforms, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the head of the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party, said on Friday, quoted by Reuters.