The Russian war of aggression against Ukraine has demonstrated that the EU cannot be surrounded by vulnerable neighbours, pushing now more EU governments and political forces on our line. The year 2022 produced some significant progress: firstly, after years of pressure from the European Parliament, EU member states agreed to finally start accession negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia following the solution on the country’s name under the Prespa Agreement. In both countries, S&D sister parties are in power. Secondly, with our strong support, as a response to Russia’s war of aggression, Ukraine and Moldova also became candidate countries, as did Bosnia and Herzegovina. Georgia and Kosovo both applied to become a candidate country, and Kosovo received visa freedom. Furthermore, EU leaders in December 2023 took a historic decision to start the accession talks with Ukraine, Moldova, and Bosnia and Herzegovina once it delivers on key criteria, as well as to grant a candidate status to Georgia.
The S&D Group has always strongly supported all countries wanting to join the EU, fighting against those EU governments and political forces trying to block further EU enlargement. Our support means that candidate countries must be helped to make the necessary internal reforms to meet the requirements to join the EU. That means ‘no entry without requirements met’.
Due to the geopolitical situation, more attention should also be devoted to third countries operating in the Western Balkans. In this context, deepening the alignment of Western Balkans candidate countries to EU foreign and security policies has to be a priority. Accession is about the commitment to EU norms and values, both inside and outside the Union.
The S&D Group supports Serbia’s accession bid, but we remain concerned about its democratic credentials. Montenegro, which has opened all the negotiations chapters, has been crippled by political instability over the past year.
With regard to Türkyie, our group believes that without clear and significant progress in the field of rule of law, Parliament cannot envisage any resumption of accession negotiations with Türkyie, which have effectively been at a standstill since 2018. Following the 2023 Turkish Presidential and Parliamentary elections, S&Ds recommend to start a reflection process to find a parallel and realistic framework for EU-Türkiye relations.
