Weeks ago, Edi Rama and Aleksandar Vučić published a joint editorial on the enlargement of the European Union and the forms of cooperation between Western Balkan countries and the EU. In it, they supported the idea that these countries could join the EU without veto rights and without commissioners.
Regarding this proposal, European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos stated that both leaders are aware of how much still needs to be done to become part of the Schengen Area.
“I don’t know whether those leaders at least one of them certainly does understand how much they need to deliver if they want to become part of Schengen or a common market. There are truly many reforms that need to be carried out, especially in the field of the rule of law,” she said.
Kos also emphasized the importance of assessing what already works well in EU relations.
“We already have a kind of system that works very well. So we will see in which direction member states will go. For now, we have third countries such as Norway, Iceland, and Switzerland—each with different arrangements—but they are part of Schengen. They can sit in councils and participate, but they do not have voting rights. Therefore, I think we should look at what already works well when discussing deepening relations outside the framework of full membership,” she added.
