“Merkel and Macron broker in the Balkans,”
“Even a few steps towards better relations in the western Balkans is what Germany and France jointly hope to achieve when the region’s leaders holding talks in Berlin.”
“But to the future membership of the EU is still very far.”
“Serbia and Kosovo are mainly in the centre at Monday’s Balkanmöte. In the autumn there was good hope in the UNION of a breakthrough for relations between the governments in Belgrade and Pristina, after earnestly negotiated from utrikeschefen Federica Mogherini.”
“But it all went in the stand and, instead, the relationship has become even cooler than before, which resulted, among other things, that Kosovo introduced a 100-percent customs duties on Serbian goods.”
“the Meeting in Berlin is now a small step to get the parties to at least begin to speak with each other again. Some more progress so far is hardly to be expected.”
“– How far we can get is nothing I can predict, ” says regeringstaleskvinnan Ulrike Demmer, according to the AFP news agency.”
“Early in the fall mumlades of a speedy settlement between Serbia and Kosovo, which would include landbyten to solve the complicated situation with serbdominerade parts of Kosovo and areas with the (kosovo)Albanian strike in Serbia.”
“the Idea of gränsändringar met, however, by the considerable international scepticism, not least from chancellor Merkel in Germany. And according to the president of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic are the plans now buried, reports the austrian news agency Apa.”
“in Parallel, the hope at the same time, both Nordmakedonien and Albania on the help from Merkel and president of France Emmanuel Macron to the opening of formal negotiations on membership in the EU.”
“the Answer has been promised by June, even if the interest for a new extension is currently quite low in many EU-countries.”
“Utvidgningskommissionären Johannes Hahn calls however.”
“– Either export the we stability – or instability, ” says Hahn to the German newspaper Handelsblatt.”
“Both Hahn as EU commission president Jean-Claude Juncker at the same time inculcated that it will take until at least 2025 before any new EU members will be accepted.”
“The seven states in what was previously known as Yugoslavia and its neighbour, Albania has come a long way in its relationship with the EU and Nato.”
“* Slovenia (2.1 million inhabitants, the capital Ljubljana) joined both the EU and Nato in 2004.”
“* Croatia (4.1 million inhabitants, capital city Zagreb) is with in the EU since 2013 and Nato since 2009.”
“* Montenegro (620 000 inhabitants, the capital Podgorica) is in Nato since 2017. Negotiating formally for EU membership since 2012.”
“* Albania (2.8 million inhabitants, the capital Tirana) is in Nato since 2009. Applied for EU membership in 2009, but has not yet received a start negotiate.”
“* Nordmakedonien (2.1 million inhabitants, the capital Skopje), and is expected to become a member of Nato 2020. Applied for EU membership in 2004, but has not yet received a start negotiate.”
“* Serbia (7 million inhabitants, the capital of Belgrade and negotiate formally for EU membership, since 2014.”
“* Bosnia-Herzegovina (3.5 million inhabitants, the capital, Sarajevo applied for EU membership in 2016, but has not yet been recognized as a candidate country.”
“* Kosovo (1.8 million inhabitants, the capital city Pristina) has not yet formally applied for EU membership.”