What will 2011 bring for the Western Balkans?

emg.rs

26. December 2010. 08:49
Source: WAZ.EUOBSERVER, Sofia News Agency
Serbia could become an official candidate for EU membership at the end of 2011.BiH will need to have a government capable of running the country and implementing necessary reforms.Bulgaria's presidential elections will be the centrepiece of the country's 2011 political calendar. Croatia and the EU will conclude negotiations and sign the accession treaty in 2011. Romania still hopes to be accepted into the EU's border-free Schengen area next year. Albania's EU accession bid is a desperate case.Kosovo remains a black hole in the Western Balkan region.The biggest issue for the Macedonian political scene in 2011 is yet again the name dispute with Greece.
ALBANIA For the first time in Albania's history, its citizens will have the right to travel to most EU countries without a visa. Many Albanians will use this opportunity in 2011 and most will return back home. Fears that some EU countries may face a new wave of immigrants from Albania are unfounded. Around 1.5 million Albanians (not including those from Kosovo) have already left the country over the last 20 years, unperturbed by the existing visa regime. Those who try to stay illegally in the EU will be deported back home. However, the country's EU accession bid is a desperate case. Albania lost the chance to obtain candidate status and became the only country to be given a negative opinion from the European Commission regarding its application. It will get a chance to repair this in the autumn but the political situation does not look any more promising for 2011 than it was in 2010. Augustin Palokaj ...more....

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