Mirek Topolanek is the new champion of the Balkans.
Mirek Topolanek, who he?
- Riding to the rescue? Topolanek (The one in a suit) may be the best hope for visa regime reform
None other than the Prime minister of the Czech republic, whose country is holding the rotating EU presidency as the moment.
What he do?
At a time when the EU’s established powers are talking about British (/French/German) jobs for British (or whatever) workers Topolanek is still talking about EU accession for the Balkan states and their fragile and isolated economies.
Lucky little Montenegro (it is de rigeur to call Montenegro ‘little’ or ‘tiny’) has been put on the Schengen white list and should be visa free by the end of the year. Despite this, there has been no movement towards a relaxation of the Visa regime for some of the other Western Balkan countries. It will for some time prohibitively difficult for many people from Serbia, Macedonia and Albania to travel to the EU.
Bozidar Djelic, the Serbian deputy Prime Minister, was in London this week and claimed, after meeting David Milliban, Britain supported Serbian entry to the UK and would try to persuade the dutch to drop their opposition.
The difference in priorities around visas is just one of the growing divisions within the EU, as the union divides up along an East-West basis and the old-school EU members fortify themselves against the recession, lest they find themselves being dragged down further by the likes of Latvia and Hungary who have gone cap in hand to the IMF in 2009.
Angela Merkel says a period of consolidation must take place before increasing the size of the 27 nation bloc: “No one is well served in a Europe that can’t keep up with integration and takes on too many new members too quickly.”
The global economic crisis has made the European Union wary about accepting new members from the Balkans.
“Economic problems of the current global world and the EU should in no way damage our long-term objectives and the values of the European Community. If this happens, it could jeopardise the whole project,” Says Topolanek.
“”Reservations of some to further EU enlargement are in fact an insult to me, since the Czech Republic has also joined the EU only five years ago.” …”This is the greatest crisis in the history of European integration.”
Even if Topolanek continues to trumpet the expansion of the EU, the Balkan countries must help themselves if they are to aspire to EU membership.
Serbia, for example, has no excuse for its failure to hand Ratko Mladic to the Hague, and until it does so Holland will continue to thwart their ambitions.
Croatia must swallow her pride and co-operate with the EU in her border disputes with Slovenia.
Lessons have also been learnt from Bulgaria- the levels of corruption in Bulgaria have horrified EU members and there are legitmate fears the other Balkan nations are no cleaner.
It is my personal opinion that the biggest obstacle to any wannabe entrant to the EU is the fear of immigration, which always rises at a time of economic hardship.
Governments fear the flood of workers from the Balkans should they be given access to the diminishing labour market in the west.
Viewers of South Park may remember the cry:
“THEY TOOK OUR JOBS!”
