EU-DIGEST

Macedonia Summit: EU Hopefuls Say Europe Needs the Balkans, Turkey

Balkan nations and Turkey are integral to European stability and should be swiftly accepted into the European Union, regional leaders said at a summit in Macedonia. The European Union would benefit from allowing the Balkans and Turkey to quickly join the bloc, the leaders of 19 mainly central and southern European countries said at a summit in Ohrid, Macedonia on Friday, May 2. Integrating the countries into the EU would stabilize south-eastern Europe, particularly in the wake of Kosovo's independence, they said. "Europe can't be whole without expanding to the western Balkans," Albanian President Bamir Topi said during the meeting's first joint session. The annual two-day summit was focused on the prospect of EU membership.

Labels: Bulgaria, EU, Macedonia, Turkey

Greece will veto Macedonia's NATO bid

Unless there is a compromise over its name, Macedonia's southern neighbor Greece will veto Skopje's effort to join NATO. The statement came Friday, from the Greek prime minister, Kostas Karamanlis.

"It is out of the question for Skopje to become a member of any organization, be it NATO or the EU, unless that country opts for adopting a name acceptable to all," he said during a televised debate in Athens.

Labels: EU, Greece, Macedonia, Nato

EU Eases Visa Requirements on 3 Balkan Countries

The European Union signed on Friday an agreement with Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania and Montenegro on visa facilitation, making it easier for the citizens of the three western Balkan countries to acquire EU visas.

Macedonia, which has completed talks, and Serbia, who is in the final stages of negotiation, are expected to sign similar agreements in the near future.

Labels: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, EU, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Visa Requirements