Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 16 November 2023
70. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs the extent to which countries in the Western Balkans are being assisted towards membership of the European Union; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50499/23]
View answerThe Western Balkans lies in the heart of Europe. Its future is within the European Union. In light of this, Ireland has a clear strategic interest in fostering good relations between the communities in the Western Balkans, and between the region and the EU.
We do this in numerous ways. First, by facilitating intra-regional dialogue, such as the EU-chaired Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue. Across all our engagements with the Governments of Kosovo and Serbia, Ireland emphasises the need for concrete progress on the Dialogue as an essential step towards EU membership.
We also support closer ties with our Western Balkans partners through regular high-level engagement. Most recently, on 13 November, Ireland participated in the EU-Western Balkans Ministerial Meeting in Brussels, which discussed ways to enhance CFSP cooperation with the Western Balkans. Meetings such as this provide an opportunity to engage with, and further understand our Western Balkan colleagues' points of view.
The EU accession process requires all Western Balkans states to demonstrate their ability to align with EU values, as well as with the EU acquis. Many Western Balkans countries have made good progress in this endeavour. This should be recognised and encouraged. We welcome the New Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, which envisages an investment of €6 billion to bring the countries of the Western Balkans closer to the EU, accelerate accession-related reforms, and boost economic growth. The New Growth Plan for the Western Balkans will work in addition to the EU’s Economic and Investment Plan for the Western Balkans. In order to benefit from the New Growth Plan, Western Balkans countries will be required to implement specific reforms related to the accession fundamentals and CFSP alignment. We therefore strongly encourage our Western Balkans partners to accelerate reforms accordingly and to seize this transformative opportunity.
Ireland also participates in the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA), which is the EU’s primary support tool to assist states in the implementation of reforms. Regional cooperation, good-neighbourly relations and efforts to overcome continuing bilateral issues and the legacy of the past are priority objectives for the instrument which, for the period 2021-2027, has a budgetary envelope of over €14 billion.
The Commission, in its recently released annual Enlargement Report Package, commended progress made by the Western Balkans on EU Reforms and recommended the opening of accession negotiations with Bosnia and Herzegovina, once the necessary degree of compliance with the membership criteria is achieved. We are currently studying these reports. However, we expect to be able to take decisions on the future direction of EU enlargement at the December European Council.
