Croatia’s EU accession is part of a broader project to transform the European Union – these were the words of Alex Wallden, general director for enlargement at the European Commission.
By Jake Dalli
Addressing an audience of European youth from the EU member states and enlargement area, Wallden explained Croatia’s role in the EU’s expansion strategy – as a nation’s success story, as proof of EU development and as a cornerstone for Balkan expansion.
Despite persisting corruption and organised crime, Croatia has made significant gains in the fields of democracy, governance and administrative reform. Croatia will now begin reaping the benefits of EU membership, and may also work towards adopting the Euro and Schengen agreement in the near future.
The country’s advancement, Wallden said, serves as an example for aspiring EU countries which have to make difficult decisions – especially those in the Balkan region.
“This is an important step towards the future of inclusion of the former Yugoslavian countries and Balkans,” Wallden continued, “The [Croatian] accession process was the central process to the [Balkan] transition.”
While anticipating future Balkan expansion, Wallden said that the enlargement solely depends on whether the candidate countries meet accession criteria and not on the EU itself.
Speaking of the enlargement strategy’s main challenges, Wallden described a negative public perception which surrounds the concept of EU enlargement – especially relating to perceived enlargement being the cause of the EU’s worrying concerns.
He emphasised that the enlargement process should not pause due to economic and unemployment concerns.
“A well-managed enlargement is part of the solution, not part of the problem in the EU,” he said, while dismissing the idea of pausing enlargement due to the EU’s concerns.
“Maintaining the transformative process is part of a broader project to improve Europe.”
The public perception of enlargement is no surprise, said Wallden.
“These are hard times, people see poverty and unemployment; members plunging into disarray; we even see states discussing leaving. It’s no fault [sic] that one would have second thoughts.”
However, Wallden said that in order to appreciate expansion efforts, it is important to remember why the EU was founded; to preserve peace and promote the European model.
Croatia’s accession is testament to the EU’s relevance, not only in terms of its values, but in terms of the validity of EU membership. Accession of new member states has proven and continues to prove that EU membership is still of great value, he said.
Asked whether the enlargement process has failed states such as Hungary, which has reportedly undermined human rights in the past months, Wallden said that problems lie with the EU and not the enlargement process itself.
“It’s true that many new member states have problems; so do older ones. We should avoid attributing everything to enlargement.”
“The truth is that the problems lie with the EU and not the enlargement process,” Wallden clarifies. He said the accession process has been refined through the ages, which, in the case of Croatia, has become more technical.
Wallden expressed his satisfaction as he welcomed Croatia to the EU both as a pioneer of the Balkan expansion project and as a contributor to the EU.
“From Monday 1 July, Croatia’s EU relationship will change – from a candidate state which accepted the politics and applied the criteria, to a member who has a say in both the politics and criteria,” he concluded.
