Albanian and Serbian leaders call for 'new approach' to EU enlargement

euronews (in English)

A new approach to joining the European Union is needed, according to both the Prime Minister of Albania and President of Serbia, who bemoaned the length of time the process is taking for their countries.

Transcript

00:00 A new approach to European Union enlargement. It`s what the prime minister of Albania, Eddie

00:06 Rama says is needed as his country grows tired of the long process towards joining the 27-member

00:12 bloc.

00:15 We should be realistic and we should not look at the finger while the finger shows the moon

00:24 and believe that this Europe of 27 that is having a lot of trouble to have a compact

00:35 decision making, to have a strategic thinking and planning can be enlarged with 33 or 35

00:43 or 37 soon. So, instead of the nothing or all for us, the non-EU members, new approach

00:53 should be found and new alternatives should be considered.

01:01 Eddie Rama`s comments come as 45 heads of state and government from across the continent

01:05 gather at the so-called European political community to discuss, among other things,

01:10 EU enlargement. But he isn`t the only leader from the Western Balkans calling for a new

01:15 approach.

01:17 With many countries in the region having waited years now to join the bloc, Serbia`s president

01:22 Aleksandar Vucic tells Euronews that something has to change.

01:26 It doesn`t matter what, because there were some - during different conversations, there

01:33 were some new ideas. Whether we can get first green lanes, then economic market, unique

01:39 economic market, whatever it is, we need to move. We need to move ourselves, otherwise

01:45 we`ll feel bigger fatigue than within European member states.

01:50 State countries, including Albania, Serbia and Ukraine are currently EU candidate countries,

01:55 meaning they could join the bloc in the near future.

01:59 But with no clear timeline set and divisions within the EU stark, a new approach to European

02:04 Union membership could very well appear.

02:06 Thank you.

02:10 you

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