22052003balkans

BALKAN LEADERS CALL FOR EUROPEAN SUPPORT... The presidents of Croatia
and Macedonia, Stipe Mesic and Boris Trajkovski, along with Serbian
Prime Minister Zoran Zivkovic called on the EU to increase its
assistance and to begin preparations for their countries' membership
in an open letter on 21 May. The three politicians stressed that they
are not appealing for more money but rather for better cooperation to
ensure a more efficient disbursement of financial aid at current
levels. Mesic, Trajkovski, and Zivkovic also asked the EU to use the
June EU summit in Thessaloniki to replace the current reconstruction
aid with aid for economic development. UB

...AND EUROPEAN COMMISSION LISTENS. The European Commission on 21
May proposed "enriching" current policies vis-a-vis Albania, Bosnia,
Croatia, Macedonia, and Serbia and Montenegro with elements that
would reinforce the ultimate goal of extending EU membership to
countries in the region, a press release stated. "The map of the
European Union will not be complete until the countries of the
Western Balkans are included on it," EU Foreign Affairs Commissioner
Chris Patten said. "There is a great deal of work to do: reforming
the economies, standards of governance, and democracy of the region
remain major challenges -- alongside the constant battle to tackle
corruption and organized crime." To achieve these aims, the European
Commission proposes adopting measures that have been successful
during EU enlargement in Central Europe, including enhanced support
for institution building, "twinning" programs, technical assistance,
and the possibility for those countries to participate in some EU
programs. The Stabilization and Association Program, however, will
remain the framework for all these efforts. UB

WILL MACEDONIA APPLY FOR EU MEMBERSHIP IN 2003? Foreign Minister
Ilinka Mitreva told an audience in Brussels on 20 May that Macedonia
might apply for EU membership by the end of 2003, MIA news agency
reported. "The Republic of Macedonia will apply for EU membership
when the right time for this historic undertaking has arrived. We
believe that this may be possible by the end of 2003," Mitreva said.
UB

ALBANIAN, MACEDONIAN PREMIERS HOLD TALKS. Albanian Prime Minister
Fatos Nano met with his Macedonian counterpart Branko Crvenkovski in
the Macedonian resort town of Ohrid on 21 May, MIA reported. Nano and
Crvenkovski told a press conference after the meeting that bilateral
relations and cooperation have improved considerably in recent
months. "We have also talked about intensifying the economic
cooperation and implementing the [bilateral] Free Trade Agreement. At
our next meeting in Debar, a new border crossing will be opened,
which is very important for the citizens of both countries,"
Crvenkovski said. Both politicians stressed the importance of the
U.S.-Adriatic Charter, which includes Albania, Croatia, and
Macedonia, saying it is an important step toward NATO membership of
these countries. UB