• Poland supports EU hopefuls from the Balkans
  • Audio4.77 MB
  • 12.05.2011
Poland is among the countries which support the continuous openness of the European Union also in times when public opinion is changing. Further enlargement of the bloc to include south-eastern Europeans will be one of the priorities of the rotating EU presidency this country assumes on July 1. 
 
Danuta Isler reports
 
Concluding his recent tour of western Balkans PM Donald Tusk reaffirmed Polish support for EU aspirations of those countries and indicated that one of the goals of Poland’s EU presidency in the second half of this year would be to finalize Croatia’s accession negotiations to the EU. Such declarations of assistance were expressed at the time of enlargement fatigue with enthusiasm for even more members in the bloc that will request support diminishing.
 
Each of the Balkan countries is also bringing their own set of problems to the EU pool, for example, the acceptance of Kosovo's independence, deep ethnic divisions in Bosnia, corruption and troubled economies or the issue of  Yogoslavian war crimes.