Sánchez proposes the “gradual incorporation” of candidate countries into European Council debates

Eduardo González The Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, advocated this Friday, during the VIII Summit between the European Union and the Western Balkans held in Tivat, Montenegro, the “gradual incorporation” of candidate countries into some European Council debates. “If these countries are making progress in internal reforms in some areas, why not gradually integrate these countries seeking membership into the European Union into the debates of the European Council?” Sánchez asked reporters upon his arrival at the meeting. “Why not gradually incorporate them, for example, regarding access to the single market?” he added. In Sánchez's view, enlargement is not a bureaucratic or technical matter, but a geopolitical and strategic one that will allow the EU to face challenges such as attempts at division and weakening by external forces. “There cannot be a complete European Union without the Western Balkans within it,” the Prime Minister warned. “It is high time we addressed this not only as a technical matter covered by the treaties, but also as a matter of political and geopolitical decision-making, which is directly related to stability and shared prosperity in this complex region of the Western Balkans,” he declared. Therefore, Sánchez reiterated Spain's full support for the candidate countries and affirmed that the European project is “attractive” to many societies that, like Spain forty years ago, see the European Union as an opportunity for prosperity and the consolidation of democracy. Sánchez is participating this Friday in the plenary session of the EU-Western Balkans Summit. This summit, held six months after the previous one in Brussels, has provided an opportunity to assess the progress made by the countries of the region toward their gradual integration into the EU, as well as the advancements made through the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans and progress on security and resilience in an increasingly complex geopolitical context. The meeting is being chaired by the President of the European Council, António Costa, and the President of Montenegro, Jakov Milatović. The EU is represented by Costa, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the High Representative, Kaja Kallas. The summit's theme is "Shared Prosperity and Stability in the EU and the Western Balkans."

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