Baerbock warns of Russian influence in the Western Balkans and calls for the region’s membership of the EU

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has warned against Russian influence. She said that support for the countries of the Western Balkans to join the European Union was essential to counter the threat from Moscow. The German Foreign Minister said on Monday that easing the path to European Union membership was key to countering the Kremlin’s influence in Eastern Europe. Annalena Baerbock said the EU could not afford to neglect areas such as the Western Balkans and expose them to Russian intervention following Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

What did Baerbock say about Russia?

“We cannot afford grey zones anywhere in Europe and must do everything together to deprive Russia of the weapons it can use for its policy of destabilization, disinformation and infiltration,” she said before leaving for a trip to Montenegro and Bosnia-Herzegovina, DW reports, The Geopost reports.

“Taking six states in the region under our wing on the road to the European Union has become a geopolitical necessity in the face of Russia’s brutal imperialism,” Baerbock said before leaving for the region. Supporting countries could include “strengthening their democratic institutions, improving their resilience and offering their populations economic prospects”, said Baerbock.

How close is the Western Balkans to EU membership?

The Western Balkans comprises Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia as well as Albania. Brussels is calling on the countries to carry out the necessary reforms to join the 27-member political and economic bloc. In their view, Montenegro is at the highest level on the accession path, but the pace is slow. The EU is not expected to accept new members before the end of the decade – even in the most ambitious scenarios. Bosnia and Herzegovina was granted EU candidate country status in December 2022, but negotiations have not yet begun. Montenegro has presented an “ambitious agenda” for progress towards EU membership, said Baerbock.

However, she added that there was still a lot to do in terms of “the rule of law and the fight against corruption”. Baerbock said that Bosnia was at a “crossroads” after being granted EU candidate status and also needed to push ahead with reforms. She added that Germany was against “those who are blocking Bosnia and Herzegovina’s path to the EU with their separatist fantasies”, alluding to Serbian nationalist Milorad Dodik. Russia has a close relationship with Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik, who has challenged Bosnia’s post-war governing structure in recent months./The Geopost/