The enlargement of the European Union is a process based on merit, not on a time frame.
This is what EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Koss stated at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
"Sometimes I hear that the Western Balkan countries have been waiting for a very long time. It is not a question of how long they wait, but of their political will and how far they can fulfil it," Kos stressed.
She pointed out that the European Union is closely monitoring what is happening in the candidate countries, which are obliged to fulfil certain conditions.
Kos recalled the importance of the rule of law in the countries that want to join.
"There are some countries in the European Union that do not respect the rule of law and we have seen a fear among many members that this could damage the EU in the sense that we should not allow any country that is not 100 percent ready to join the Union, not only from an economic point of view," the commissioner added.
Marta Koss also said that the economic and geopolitical situation in the world has changed since Croatia joined the European Union in 2013. Not only the candidates have to be ready for the European Union, but also the EU has to be ready for them.
"With this round of the enlargement process, we are somehow going back to the basics, to the roots - this is why the European Union was created and the basic principles are peace, freedom and prosperity, as well as security, which is very important today," Kos argued. | BGNES
