Balkan summit: Scholz, von der Leyen talk up EU expansion

Berlin [Germany], October 16: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Monday said he hoped Western Balkan states could inch closer to becoming members of the European Union as he hosted leaders from the region in Berlin.
"I hope it won't take another 10 years before all six states finally become EU members," Scholz said at the summit known as the Berlin Process.
The six nations Scholz was referring to were Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia and Albania.
"The European Union is only complete with the Western Balkans as part of it," Scholz said.
The German chancellor made the comments alongside European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at a news conference on the sidelines of the Berlin Process summit, which saw leaders sign a plan of action on a common market in the region. A new mobility agreement on access to higher education was also on the table in the German capital.
The Berlin Process has been held annually since 2014, with Scholz adding: "We have managed to create something that I would call the spirit of Berlin."
Von der Leyen also described the summit as a success, saying that EU enlargement is once again a priority for the 27-member bloc.
The EU has not admitted a new member since Croatia joined in 2013. Von der Leyen admitted that there had been a long period in which "enlargement... was excluded as a possibility."
"This has completely changed in the last years," she added.
The EU chief also warned against rising Russian influence in the West Balkans.
"Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine has brought clarity - you have to choose to be on the right side of history and on the side of international law," she said.
Free trade hopes
The meeting in Berlin comes days after German mediation helped to resolve a long dispute over free trade in the region, something Scholz said was "nothing less than a breakthrough for regional cooperation."
However, Scholz said that past conflicts continue to hurt cooperation, with relations between Serbia and Kosovo a particular source of difficulty.
"I insist that both parties fully implement the commitments they have made," Scholz said.
Source: Times of Oman