Gemma Grozdanova: By 2025, Member States in the EU Could be More than 27

The EC's strategy for EU enlargement to the Western Balkan countries has a timeframe, but it is not limited. It can be assumed that by 2025, the member states in the European Union could be more than 27, the chair of the parliamentary committee for foreign policy and MP from GERB (majority partner in the coalition government), Gemma Grozdanova, told BNT on 7th of February commenting on the EU enlargement strategy, which was presented on 6^th of February.

During the negotiations with the other two countries within the trio presidency, we succeeded in bringing the issue of enlargement to the Western Balkans back into the EU's focus and we want the topic to remain on the agenda in the future, said Grozdanova.

She stressed that "the new thing in this communication is that for 2018 the funds for the Western Balkans is about 1 billion, and there is an opportunity for provision of more, which has not happened so far."

It is obvious that there is a priority in this area. Our priority on the topic of "Western Balkans" in this 6 months and by the end of the year is transport connectivity and digitization, which are set in the strategy as two separate points, Grozdanova added.

She noted, however, that money would not be "poured” if the countries themselves did not do their jobs. In her opinion, the EC strategy largely counteracts the growing influence of Russia, China and Turkey in the Western Balkans.

For Grozdanova the serious engagement of the Western world with this region is also confirmed in the intense negotiations between Macedonia and Greece on the name of our western neighbour.

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