Barnier was in the Macedonian town of Ohrid on October 15 to attend as an EU representative the first informal meeting of Western Balkan foreign ministers, initiated by Croatia, Macedonia and Albania to promote regional cooperation in the process of integration with the EU and NATO.
The Ohrid meeting, which brought together the foreign ministers of Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, and Serbia-Montenegro, focused on the future of these countries in the EU, and Barnier said that the countries were "mature" for EU membership.
"Turning towards Europe means the need to turn away from the past and commit oneself to peace," the French minister wrote.
It is in the interests of Europe not to close its door on them and leave them to the perils of all forms of smuggling on the outskirts of Europe, he said.
"The European Union should therefore profoundly and truly support the European choice of the Balkans as a continuation of the first step it made when it awarded Croatia, which is resolutely committed on the path of reform, the status of an official candidate for membership," Barnier wrote.
In Ohrid, the French minister reaffirmed the principle of assessment of the individual performance of each EU candidate, pointing out Croatia as the country that had made the greatest progress in the reform process, and pledged EU support to the Southeast European countries through 53 projects worth four billion US dollars.
Recalling in his article that the countries of Southeast Europe must meet all the requirements "for their own good " and in order to "appease Europe", Barnier concluded by expressing hope that "the Balkan people are ready to seize the opportunity and set out on the European course together".