Skopje, 20 October 2023 (MIA) — The Council of Europe will continue helping North Macedonia and the Western Balkans in making tangible and measurable reform progress on their way toward EU integration, Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe President Tiny Kox said Friday addressing the Conference on Inter-Parliamentary Dialogue to Further Promote the European Integration of the Western Balkans held in Skopje.

According to Kox, effective geostrategic investments in peace, stability and democratic security in Europe were based on strengthening democratic resilience, upholding the rule of law and human rights, promoting reconciliation and good neighborly relations and creating conditions for stronger economic and social progress in the Western Balkans.

It is for this reason that PACE believes, he said, that helping Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Kosovo to realize their aspirations for European integration, is important not only for the countries themselves but also for the 700 million people of Europe.

The PACE President also recalled the 2003 Thessaloniki Agenda and said that the failure to award progress made had dampened enthusiasm in the region, especially young people's.

"An increasing number of people in the Western Balkans, especially amongst the youth, are pessimistic about the prospects of EU accession. The European vision is losing its shine. In its place, ethnonationalism has resurfaced. This is a reason to worry – and an obligation to act better," Kox said.

He said PACE last year had called for "a new impetus" to be given to the EU enlargement process.

According to Kox, the region should tackle remaining challenges, including the polarized political climate, serious rule of law and good governance issues, the rights of national minorities and minority communities, and problems relating to freedom of the media and media ownership.

"Greater efforts are also necessary to strengthen reconciliation and enhance civil society engagement," he added.

A lot remains to be done but the CoE has unparalleled expertise on democracy, rule of law and human rights, he said, and the PACE "wants the Council of Europe to redouble its efforts to help the Western Balkan countries make tangible and measurable progress towards meeting the EU enlargement criteria."

"The Council of Europe," he highlighted, "should also play a greater role in promoting effective and inclusive regional co-operation, the normalization of relations and the solution of bilateral differences and disputes, hand in hand with the EU and other like-minded actors."

Urging CoE member states to support the efforts of the Western Balkan countries in continuing their European integration, he encouraged greater cooperation including at the parliamentary level.

He said these were dangerous and challenging times and the region knew it well. But challenges could be overcome if people wanted to overcome them, he said, and solutions could be found. "History has already been written, but the future has not been yet — it is ours and yours," Kox said.

The conference was organized by the PACE Interparliamentary Cooperation and Project Support Division; the PACE Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy; and Parliament, with the aim of providing parliamentarians from the region with a broad platform for cooperation and dialogue to discuss challenges they face and good practices towards European integration. mr/