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European Commissioner Johannes Hahn told Politico that China's "combination of capitalism and political dictatorship" may be of interest to some leaders in the south-eastern flank of the continent.
Although Western concerns about the Balkans in recent years have focused on the role of Russia, Han said that there were more reasons to worry about China, who has invested in important infrastructure projects.
Asked about the possibility that Beijing is installing Trojans using its financial clout to have political influence over countries aspiring to join the EU, Han cites the example of the construction and financing of the country. a highway to Montenegro from China.
"This is exactly the case of this well-known highway in Montenegro, and it is a kind of model or business model for the Chinese to offer attractive or more or less attractive loans, and if you can not serve them, it becomes a capital, "said Han, Commissioner for EU's neighbors and speaks with newcomers.
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"I think we need to be aware of China's strategic concept and react appropriately, and I think it will be one of the biggest challenges for Europe," Han said. conservative and former Austrian minister.
Montenegro, which made headlines last week after US President Donald Trump mentioned that his people could engage NATO in the Third World War and that its largest neighbor, Serbia, was entering into negotiations. in 2014. that they will become EU members by 2025 – although Han said that this horizon is "quite ambitious".
Serbia and Montenegro are among the six countries, most of which emerged after the collapse of Yugoslavia after the war in the 1990s, all aspiring to join the EU in the years to come. But the countries of the European Union are divided on how to act on these aspirations.
French President Emanuel Macron appears as one of the main doubters about the EU's openness to the new members of the Western Balkans. He insists that the EU should focus on its reform even before considering enlargement.
<img width = "140" title = "Юнкер: Ек и неговият единен пазар са неделими" alt = "The President of the European Commission (EC), Jean-Claude Juncker, has declared that the efforts of the Member States To divide the single market […]
The French authorities also fear that any signal that the Union intends to take in relatively poor countries with deeply rooted problems such as organized crime and corruption is a gift for the Eurosceptic parties in the European elections of the European Union. 39 next year. In June, Paris managed to postpone the decision of Albania and Macedonia to start accession negotiations after the May elections.
In an interview, Han opposes Macron's point of view. He said citizens of the Western Balkan countries "have the right to become members of the EU" and that the EU has the choice between exporting stability to the region or importing instability in the block.
Han said that he was in agreement with Macron on the fact that the EU itself must be reformed – but said that this could happen simultaneously when the Western Balkan countries negotiate their accession .
"My point of view may be a little different from that of President Macron," he said. "Maybe we can convince him that both must be done in parallel."
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Han said "very confident" that talks with Albania and Macedonia could begin next year, noting that the process of verifying the readiness of parties to the negotiations has already begun.
"It's a very important job and I hope we can finish it between one year and 14 months," he said. "The goal is indeed to get the green light from all the Member States in the middle of next year".
Current EU plans leave two countries in the Western Balkans, Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina without even having a timetable for accession negotiations.
Han said the fragmented political structure of Bosnia and Herzegovina – the result of the Dayton Accords that ended the war in 1995 – will have to change.
"They live under the so-called logic of Dayton, which does not conform to the logic of Brussels," he said. But Mr Khan said the country has made some progress in forming a panel of representatives from different ethnic groups to answer the EU's detailed questionnaire on its willingness to join.
One of the biggest obstacles to Kosovo's EU membership is that the country must resolve disputes with Serbia, from where it declared independence in 2008 Khan also noted that the Kosovo government is heavily dependent on tariffs and this will have to change before joining the EU single market.
He proposed that the EU enlargement project encompbades the entire Western Balkans as a historic mission.
"It all started in 1989 with the Iron Curtain," he said. "The huge enlargement in 2004 was … a first major consequence, and I would say that all this is possible only after the accession of the six countries to the Union. ".
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