Serbia and Montenegro Could Join the European Union by 2025

According to a draft document from the European Commission on the Western Balkans, which has been observed by a Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reporter, Montenegro and Serbia will be ready to join the European Union by 2025. The document also states that by that time, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, and North Macedonia will have reached more advanced stages for EU membership. This strategy, which is set to be publicly announced in three weeks, is the EU's effort to revive the accession process for the six Western Balkan countries that are still outside the Union. The draft states that the Western Balkan countries have a 'historic opportunity' and that for the first time, the accession process has a 'very suitable framework.' It further notes that realistically, this program requires strong political will, achieving real reforms, and completely and permanently resolving disputes with neighboring countries. According to the assessments presented in this draft, the year 2019 will be a 'decisive' year. It also mentions that the proposed timeline is 'ambitious' and designed to be an 'incentive' for the countries concerned. Albania and North Macedonia must begin EU accession negotiations by the end of 2019. For this purpose, Tirana must have initiated judicial reforms, and North Macedonia must resolve its naming dispute with Greece that has persisted since the country's independence from former Yugoslavia. Negotiations between Greece and North Macedonia are set to take place in New York in two days, with the leaders of both countries and a UN representative present. There is hope that the disputes between the two countries will be resolved this year. The draft states that by the end of 2019, EU member states should be in a position to announce Bosnia and Herzegovina's candidacy for EU membership. It also states that Serbia and Kosovo must normalize their bilateral relations, which will pave the way for Kosovo's EU accession negotiations. Negotiations between Pristina and Belgrade, supported by the EU since 2011, have led to agreements in the areas of freedom of movement, judicial matters, and the status of the Serbian minority in Kosovo. The draft emphasizes that the EU will not allow 'bilateral disputes' to enter the Union. Therefore, all Western Balkan countries must prioritize and resolve all their problems and disputes. The document expresses hope that by 2023, EU countries will be in a position to finalize the accession agreement with Serbia and Montenegro, and Bosnia will also begin accession negotiations in the same year. The accession treaties for Serbia and Montenegro to the EU must be ratified by all EU member states two years later, which means that by 2025, both countries could join the EU.