Balkans target the EU

EU FOREIGN ministers raised the bar on the former Yugoslavia states and Albania joining the bloc over the weekend, but reaffirmed that the ultimate goal was membership.

However, the final statement warned that full co-operation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia was one of the requirements for membership.

Austrian Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik, who chaired an informal meeting between EU members and those from the western Balkans in Salzburg at the weekend, said: “The target is membership and full integration, but it will be a long and demanding road.”