EU states reassert membership promise to six Balkan states

Leaders of Balkans and the EU attend an informal meeting before the EU-Balkans summit, in Brdo, Slovenia, October 5, 2021. REUTERS/Borut Zivulovic/File Photo

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union governments reaffirmed on Tuesday their promise to allow six Balkan countries to one day join the bloc, nudging the EU towards finally opening talks with North Macedonia and Albania.

For over a year, the EU's plan to build a "ring of friends" from Ukraine to Tunisia by offering closer ties, trade and aid has been paralysed, in part because European politicians fear a backlash over migration. The Balkan states include Serbia, Kosovo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania and North Macedonia.