One of the best-known experts on EU enlargement policies, Professor Christian Lequesne from Paris, says enlargement is not a priority for European Union leadership in this time of crisis caused by the Pandemic.

In an exclusive interview for Kosovapress, Professor Lequesne talks about the possibilities of opening membership negotiations for the Western Balkan countries, the impossibility of Serbia's membership without normalizing relations with Kosovo, the impact of the negotiations between Kosovo and Serbia on the integration process, the need for strengthening the rule of law in the Western Balkan countries, the misperception in some Balkan countries that the EU will not accept those countries with Muslim populations, etc. Interviewed: Fadil Miftari Kosovapress:  Professor Lequesne, you are one of the best experts in Europe in terms of the concept of the Union or more specifically its enlargement policies. I wanted to ask you about the long and still unattainable road in the EU integration process of the six countries of the Western Balkans. Tell us please what is happening in this regard? Christian Lequesne: The situation has improved with the decision to open negotiations with Albania and Northern Macedonia. We have now 4 states with which negotiations can move on according to the Thessaloniki Declaration of 2003, even if these negotiations have not started yet with Northern Macedonia and Albania. The situation of Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo are of course more difficult. Being a member state of the European Union requires first of all to be a complete sovereign state and a stabilized state. Bosnia-Herzegovina still suffers from the difficulties of being a weak state due to the difficult compromise between communities. Kosovo is still considered as part of its territory by Serbia and is even not recognised by 5 EU member states. These problems have to be solved before any enlargement process. A big mistake will be to think that enlargement is the miracle which solves everything (state building, sovereignty issue). It is not true. There are preconditions to join a EU which remains a Union of sovereign states. KosovaPress:  There seems to be a lack of transparency on the part of both the European Union and the leadership of the Western Balkan countries in relation to the citizens, as both sides blame each other for stalling this process. From your point of view, where are the real setbacks in this process? Christian Lequesne: There is hypocrisy on both sides, I agree. For the EU as a whole, enlargement is not a priority at the moment. There are other issues (recovery of the economy, budget, Brexit) to solve. The EU negotiates future enlargement with no concrete plan to finalize it. For the Balkan states, the hypocrisy is to make as if democratic rules and end of nationalism work well. It is not the case. Democracy and tolerance vis-à-vis the "other" have not yet reached EU standards in most of the candidate countries of Western Balkans. Kosovapress:  Last year, France blocked two Balkan countries, Albania and northern Macedonia, from opening the EU membership negotiation process. President Macron said he took the step because the two countries had not done enough of the reforms required by the European Union. Given the dynamics that the EU has followed in the past in relation to other countries, will this negotiation process have to start soon, or is it possible that enlargement policies will not happen in the near future? Christian Lequesne: Don't forget that we are talking about diplomatic processes. In such processes, you have always the form and the substance. My guess is that we could start negotiations with the two countries, as it is already the case with Serbia and Montenegro, but that it will take a long time to be finalized. Again, enlargement is currently not the number one priority of the EU member states. Kosovapress:  In the Balkans there was criticism of the European Union for not being ready to expand its circle. Do you think the stands this? Christian Lequesne: I can understand that very well. The EU has proposed enlargement to the Balkans to limit nationalism and now its reluctance to move forward are increasing nationalism. The EU must think about that in more geopolitical terms. Another variable for the EU is the benefit that it provides to other "big" powers in the region as China and Russia. During the Covid-19 crisis, some leaders of the Balkan states, whose countries are engaged in enlargement negotiations, expressed open support to the Chinese model of governance. Why not? But if the Balkans are attracted by the Chinese model, they have to know that it will not exactly provide them a democratic future! Kosovapress:  Since I represent a medium of Kosovo, however, I will inevitably ask you about visa liberalization: Is it unfair to the citizens of Kosovo who are the only ones in the Western Balkans who cannot travel freely in the Schengen area? Christian Lequesne: I understand this feeling of unfairness. Free movement of persons is considered nowadays as a civic right. Even if many Kosovars work in the EU and also in Switzerland, they need a Schengen visa. This is something that can be negotiated with the EU independtely of the enlargement. My advice is to give credentials to the EU in improving the rule of law. Images also play a role in diplomacy. A Slovak friend told me recently that in his country Kosovo has the image of "organised crime". Of course, we are talking there about perceptions and not necessarily truth. But clear measures to control corruption and crime is the best way to get the visa free system. Kosovapress:  Has the political problems that exist between Kosovo and Serbia affected and the can affect in this process of visa liberalizations? Christian Lequesne: Of course it plays a role. Five EU member states still do not recognize Kosovo as a sovereign state. Kosovapress:  From the point of view of an expert, what should Kosovo do more to ensure visa liberalization, because the opening of membership negotiations is certainly far away? Christian Lequesne: I have already answered this question. Again, the best option Kosovo can adopt is to elect politicians who are prepared to increase the democratic regulation of the State on the society, especially on economic activities. I also know that it is easy to say from Paris. State/society difficult relationships are structural problems in the Balkans, including in EU member states as Romania, Bulgaria but also Greece. Kosovapress:  As the European leadership is known, even President Macron and Chancellor Merkel are directly involved in the West's efforts to reach an agreement between Kosovo and Serbia. Are unresolved political issues between Kosovo and Serbia a problem for the accession process of all Western Balkan countries in Union? Christian Lequesne: Yes indeed. I do not see any real possibility for Kosovo and Serbia to join the EU if they do not recognize the sovereignty of each other. Normalization of the relationships under the EU mediation has been a very positive step but this is not enough. Next step should be recognition. If Belgrade and Pristina do not accept this new step, there will have no membership. The EU can help both countries to go in this direction but the final responsability is in both capitals. Kosovapress:  In some countries here in the Balkans there is a theory, certainly not to say openly that public opinion in the Union is not ready for countries that have a predominantly Muslim population. Could there really be such a this perception? Christian Lequesne:  I am not sure it is such a big issue in the case of Balkans. It has been an issue regarding Turkey's application to the EU, definitively. But Muslim populations in Western Balkans, also as a result of the Yugoslavian experience, are in general very secular and consider that they belong first of all to Europe. It does not mean that some of them are not seduced by the general phenomenon of re-discovering their religious identity and transform it into a political commitment. Countries as Qatar, Saudi Arabia and even Turkey do encourage this sometimes with some social activism. But it will be a mistake to overemphasize Muslim religion as a political factor in the Balkans. Now if I consider the far right movements in the EU, they do use very often the case of Western Balkans in their anti-Muslim rhetoric; they prefer to focus on the Middle East and Turkey.   /Christian Lequesne is a French academic, Professor of European Policy in Yes Sciences, Director of the Center d'études et de recherches internationales (CERI), and Professor at the College of Europe. Professor Lequesne is also a visiting lecturer at several prestigious European colleges and is regarded as the best European expert on the concept of the European Union with particular emphasis on enlargement policies. He is also a member of the editorial boards and scientific councils of the Critique Internationale, Politique européenne and European Integrations as well as the Prague European Summit./