Mogherini on EU accession process, interview to RTV Slovenija

Mojca Širok: The halt to the EU enlargement process seems to have revived old tensions among  countries. What's the EU doing and what should it be doing in the Western Balkans?

Federica Mogherini: The EU enlargement process did not come to a halt. A few years back President Juncker said that we wouldn't have any new member states soon, this is the reality of the situation.

None of the Western Balkans states were ready to become part of the EU three years ago.

We're working every day, week and month with each and every one of the Western Balkans states to make sure their EU accession process is irreversible. This requires economic, judicial and institutional reforms, and cooperation with neighbours as we're all aware it was in the Balkans where we witnessed the last war in Europe 20 years ago.

This is the EU's effort, my personal goal is to conclude this EU Commission mandate, we have two more years, making sure that all our six partners in the Western Balkans are at such a point in the EU integration process so that the process will be irreversible.

In the EU in two years?

That would be impossible, the reform process started in all these countries is still at early stages.

Are you worried about two great powers like the US and Russia trying to exert influence in the Balkans?

No, I'm not worried for a simple reason. The EU's attraction power in the Balkans is very strong. Around 70-80% of people in the Balkans support the EU, figures we can only dream of inside the EU. There's a very positive energy  - especially in the younger generations – towards being Europeans that pushes the people in government in these countries towards the EU. If we as the EU and our member states will be coherent in lending support to these countries, there's no Turkey, Russia or Gulf states that can compete with us. The attraction power in terms of economy, rights, reforms, regional integration that the EU can offer has no rivals.