For Germany, which is abandoning the taboos of the past and returning to the international stage to claim a central role in the settlement of regional disputes, the Serbia-Kosovo problem and the Bulgarian obstacle to the accession of Northern Macedonia are now the next step.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was planning to visit Belgrade on June 6th. However, he found the skies closed, as Bulgaria, but also Montenegro and Northern Macedonia announced that they would not allow the Russian government aircraft to enter their national airspace, following the line. sanctions previously decided by European Union. The small states of Balkan, sometimes weak in Moscow’s sphere of influence, demonstrate – albeit symbolically – their importance. Berlin is well aware of this importance, and Chancellor Olaf Soltz’s tour of Pristina, Belgrade, Skopje and Sofia shows that Germany is now determined not to allow the region’s western orientation to be challenged again.
The countries of the Western Balkans they have been taking European promises, hopes and prospects for years. The truth is, however, that Brussels, although recognizing the economic, geopolitical and cultural ties with Europe in the region, was in no hurry to incorporate the problems that accompanied it. Delays and the lack of a credible accession prospect have created vulnerabilities in the past that Russia has not left unexploited. “Either now or never,” a German official told APE – MPE, referring to the need to revive the “Berlin Process” of 2014 and with the European vision first for Albania and Northern Macedonia and gradually for all countries in the region. This is, after all, the essence of the presence of the Chancellor in the Balkans and in Thessaloniki, for the Summit of the Cooperation Process of the Countries of Southeast Europe.
In addition, Greece is the “superpower” of the region, a member of NATO and the EU, clearly oriented towards the West and with significant “know-how” in terms of the European approach to the Balkans. Berlin recognizes this role in practice and values ​​its partnership with Athens at a time when stability is a top priority.
For Germany, which is abandoning the taboos of the past and returning to the international stage to claim a central role in the settlement of regional disputes, the Serbia-Kosovo problem and the Bulgarian obstacle to the accession of Northern Macedonia are now the next step. The EU may no longer have the “automatic” reform and transformation power of the past, but in any case it is more attractive than any other “solution” and this is what German diplomacy is looking to take advantage of. “Serbs, Albanians, etc. are migrating to Germany, Greece, France and so on,” the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) wrote in a recent analysis, and as long as that happens, the ball is in Europe’s court.
“The Western Balkans belong to the European family. And the implementation of our commitments is not just a matter of credibility. “The integration of these countries is in the strategic interest of all of us,” Olaf Solz told the Bundestag recently, with clear visions of Russia, China and even Turkey for the region, which they see as political, geostrategic and economically viable. Admittedly, his predecessor, Angela Merkel, seemed to realize this, but she had to face the reservations of French President Emanuel Macron. To the already difficult equation have now been added the accession candidacies of Ukraine and Georgia, which find support in several Member States which would prefer to give enlargement priority there.
For Germany, however, the clear EU commitment to the integration of the Western Balkans it is now a powerful tool in preventing the spread of Russian – and Chinese – influence. The war in Ukraine has shown that Moscow does not share European views on borders and borders, and that future policy must be pursued with this in mind. It is indicative that in Serbia yesterday, Olaf Solz directly asked President Alexander VuÏ„Ï‚iÏ„Ï‚ to immediately apply the sanctions against Russia, reminding him that “the candidate countries must implement the common EU foreign policy”. Serbia “depends on Moscow’s vote in the UN Security Council on Kosovo”, Voutsis replied, making it very clear that the individual and chronic conflicts are very complicated and will need more than nice words to be settled. . An absolute priority for the Germans is the cohesion and stability of Europe and the maintenance of a strong front against Russian aggression. So the risk of destabilization of the Balkans must be avoided at all costs, they say in all tones to the chancellery and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and they are waiting for the European Council of 23-24 June and concrete decisions.
