Deda: EU incapable of dealing with the Western Balkans (Vecernje Novosti)
MP of the Self-determination movement in the Kosovo Assembly, Ilir Deda said that the EU was not capable to deal with the Western Balkans, although it should be the priority.
Ilir Deda said to Tanjug that the situation in Kosovo was as in all other parts of the Western Balkans, with great economic and social problems and with a lack of real European perspective.
He believes that the Western Balkans should be a priority for the EU, because peace in the region was achieved only because of the perspective of membership, and the European project was not completed without all the countries of the region in the European club.
"What we see now is slowing down of the process, not because of the Western Balkans, but because of the strengthening of the extreme right, and suddenly we have the paradox, where the whole European policy becomes a hostage of illegal migration flows, instead of being a peace project, which essentially is a European," said Deda.
He stressed that Kosovo and other parts of the Balkans need help in economic and industrial development, because currently there is a large gap between the social and economic realities and aspirations of governments that are somewhat vague because they are incompetent.
According to him, 10 years ago, all in the region have believed that today they will be in the pre-accession negotiations with the EU, obviously it is not happening and it's not because of the Western Balkans, than the EU.