President Milanović supports Ukraine’s EU membership bid, proposes EU candidate status for Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo, and start of negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia

The President of the Republic of Croatia Zoran Milanović believes that Ukraine should be granted the status of candidate for membership in the European Union as soon as possible. After he was offered to join the initiative of the presidents of several EU member states, which seeks to grant EU membership candidate status to Ukraine, President Milanović conveyed on Monday his support for Ukraine’s EU membership candidacy to the initiators of the open letter.

Ukraine is subjected to the aggression of the Russian Federation and we must all provide it with all the necessary assistance, which we would expect if we were in the same situation. Croatia bears in mind that Ukraine was the first internationally recognized state to recognize us and that it was among the first to come to our aid. War is happening in Europe and we must do everything we can to stop it and avoid it from spreading. Ukraine’s accelerated path to the EU is one of the methods and we support it.

However, President Milanović also stated his position that everything must be done in order to prevent the spread of the crisis to the Western Balkans, to our neighbourhood, and to evade any possible threat not only to our neighbouring countries but also to the Republic of Croatia. It is in Croatia’s strategic and national interest that the countries of South East Europe, which have declared and proved their intention and readiness to join the EU, become members of the European Union as soon as possible.

Therefore, President Milanović has proposed to the initiators of the open letter that the EU membership candidate status be requested for both Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republic of Kosovo and that the EU, after repeated promises, immediately starts membership negotiations with the Republic of North Macedonia and the Republic of Albania, which already have candidate status.

Furthermore, negotiations with Montenegro should be accelerated.

In regard to Serbia, at this important moment for European peace, this state must decide whether it actually wants EU membership or not and pursue its policy accordingly. The EU must let Serbia know that now is the moment of decision.