rferl.org <https://www.rferl.org/a/eu-balkan-integration/31467286.html>
U.S. Seeks Acceleration Of EU-Balkan Integration, Senior Official Says Todd Prince 5-7 minutes _____ WASHINGTON -- The United States wants to see the integration of the Western Balkans into the European Union accelerate from its snail-like pace and will push to reinvigorate the process, a senior U.S. State Department official said. Gabriel Escobar, who earlier this month was named acting deputy secretary of state for South Central Europe, overseeing a region he first served in various capacities from 1998 to 2001, also announced the United States has appointed a diplomat to help drive stalled electoral reform in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Escobar, who most recently served as deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Serbia, expressed some frustration about the lack of movement on EU membership for Balkan states over the past two decades. "To return 20 years later and see that there hasn't been much progress on that front was a little disappointing," Escobar told RFE/RL on September 17 during an interview at the State Department about his priorities and concerns for the region. "We would like to see a more rapid integration." The European Union has lost its appetite for rapidly expanding membership after bringing in 13 countries into the club since 2004, most of them less-wealthy former Soviet states. Croatia was the last nation to join the 27-member bloc when its accession was completed in 2013. Escobar said both the European Union and Western Balkan nations -- which include North Macedonia, Albania, Serbia, Kosovo, Montenegro, and Bosnia-Herzegovina -- have challenges to overcome to make integration a reality, but said he hoped American engagement "can get both sides back on track." He will have his work cut out for him. Bulgaria earlier this year blocked the start of EU accession talks with North Macedonia in a dispute over language and historical grievances. EU rules require consensus from its 27 members on many important issues, including expansion. As Albania's application to join the EU will be considered in tandem with North Macedonia, the veto has impacted Tirana as well. Escobar said it was wrong for Bulgaria to use a bilateral dispute to stop North Macedonia's EU aspirations. He said some "good solutions" have been put forward to address the issue and that Washington would continue to push Sofia on finding a compromise. "They are turning it into a multilateral issue that's affecting all of us," he said of Sofia's actions, adding it's a "strategic imperative" to get North Macedonia and Albania into the EU. Escobar said he would like to see the accession talks for North Macedonia and Albania to begin this year, adding they "have earned it." Serbia-Kosovo Dispute Another tough issue facing Escobar as he seeks to champion EU integration for the region is the normalization of relations between Serbia and Kosovo. Serbia refuses to recognize Kosovo's 2008 declaration of independence from Belgrade and the intractable dispute is preventing both of them from potentially joining the EU. More than 110 countries recognize Kosovo's independence, including the United States and most EU nations. The United States in September 2020 brokered an agreement between the two nations to normalize economic and people ties as a trust-building exercise with the hope it would eventually lead to a political breakthrough. However, little has been achieved so far, analysts say. Escobar said the most immediate way to build trust is resolving the issue of missing persons. More than 1,600 people, mainly Kosovars, disappeared during the 1998-99 Kosovo war. "That's a humanitarian issue that should not be blocked by political disputes. There are families who have been waiting years to figure out what happened to their loved ones. I just don't understand why there would be any lack of compromise," he said. Bosnia-Herzegovina Reform Observers have been warning in recent years that the political situation in Bosnia-Herzegovina is deteriorating and could pull the multi-ethnic nation apart. Slovenian President Borut Pahor in March even reportedly broached the possible "dissolution" of the country in conversations with Bosnia's tripartite presidency. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken earlier this month appealed to the tripartite presidency to work toward at least modest reforms, including "limited constitutional change...to reform the electoral system." The country's election laws forbid a minority outside the three main ethnicities -- Bosniak, Croat, and Serb -- from running for high office. Analysts say the law only serves to strengthen ethnic division. Escobar said electoral reform is one of the first steps that needs to be addressed to make it a "more functional" state. He announced that Matt Palmer, a deputy secretary of state who had been responsible for the Balkan region, will be Washington's point man for electoral reform in Bosnia-Herzegovina. "I'm very happy that Matt [Palmer] is sticking around to do that part because he's got just tremendous knowledge, tremendous contacts, and a great vision for how elections in Bosnia should work," Escobar said. Escobar said the elections need to be "more transparent...more responsive to the actual will of the people." Some regional analysts have been critical of what they call a pullback in U.S. engagement in the Balkan region, especially Bosnia-Herzegovina, since the early 2000s. Escobar said the appointment of Palmer as a point man for elections is "an important sign" of U.S. dedication to the country. * -- http:www.antic.org --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "SERBIAN NEWS NETWORK" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/senet/095c01d7ad38%242e1ff8a0%248a5fe9e0%24%40gmail.com.
