Quickly to the EU common market and to the Schengen area - that's what the president is looking for Of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić and the Prime Minister of Albania Edi Rama in the joint text they sign for the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ).
In return, they add, they do not demand that the new members have the right of veto, nor the commissioners or members of the European Parliament. reports Deutsche Welle.
Expansion EU contributed to the spread of democracy, stability and well-being, the two write. But, since 2013, there has been no admission of new members, which is the result of "complex" circumstances, and not always "lack of engagement".
"In our region, the Western Balkans - which is geographically surrounded by the European Union, and historically linked to the fate of Europe - the prospects for membership remain the most important engine of reforms, investments and reconciliation", they state, thanking the EU for financial support, political dialogue and steps in integration.
Legitimate concerns
The text calls on the EU to recognize that it is time for the next step. The concerns of "many Europeans" about whether the EU with significantly more members can be effective and politically unified are recognized as "legitimate".
"We are not naive. Those arguments have weight. We have learned ourselves - often the hard way - how difficult it is to convince all member states to speed up our accession process and how easily progress can be blocked, often for reasons stemming from the internal political considerations of individual members."
But, Rama and Vučić add, if the candidates for the EU have to wait for the EU itself to reform - it would be tantamount to closing the door. There would be, they write, more solemn speeches and promises, but nothing would happen - "and that is wrong, counterproductive and in these times even dangerous".
"We wrote this text together because we recognize that Europe today has two equally legitimate goals: candidate countries seek a realistic path to full membership. Member states want to preserve the ability to act and the unity of the EU," the text added.
What do they stand for?
Those two things can be reconciled, write Vučić and Rama. "That is why we are advocating for the accelerated integration of the prepared candidate countries into the common market and the Schengen area. This would bring tangible advantages to the citizens and at the same time strengthen the economic and geopolitical position of the EU, without burdening the EU's decision-making architecture or disrupting its institutional balance," the article in the Frankfurt paper states.
"There would be no right of veto, no additional commissioners, members of the European Parliament, no changes in decision-making structures," offer Rama and Vučić.
Their offer, they write, will make it easier for every European politician to decide to support a faster enlargement, as well as to explain it to citizens in their own country.
"The enlargement of the EU was never an act of mercy. It was an investment for mutual benefit. The EU won markets, talents, strategic depth and political stability. The new members won prosperity, security and a voice in shaping Europe," added the two Balkan leaders.
But, above all, peace was won. "Europe's opponents live on a narrative of failure and division. Europe's strength has always come from the ability to turn crises into integration and diversity into unity."
The next successful chapter, they conclude, would be important both for the Western Balkans and for the whole of Europe.
