Brussels, 31 August 2023 (MIA) – The war in Ukraine has had a collateral effect of speeding up the enlargement process with the Western Balkan countries and Ukraine, said the European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, in a press conference Thursday.

“Ukraine has to become a member of the European Union, the Western Balkans also, quickly. But proposing a time target could mobilize our energies and the energies of the candidate states,” said Borrell, announcing that upon the proposal of the Spanish Presidency of the EU Council, a ministerial meeting will be held with the Western Balkan ministers at the end of next month.

According to MIA’s special reporter from Brussels, Borrell stressed that enlargement is a merit-based process, based on the fulfillment of conditions.

“Each state will become a member when it fulfills all the conditions, but, at the same time, I think it is good to fix a political target, a horizon, in order to give a political impetus to the process,” said Borrell, adding that the Union too, will have to prepare for its enlargement.

Additionally, Borrell announced that a new meeting of the high level dialogue between Serbia and Kosovo will be held on September 14.

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