We have a duty to reward Macedonia, Solana said, recalling Europe's obligations towards Western Balkan countries which he said were going through different stages of integration with the EU.
It is good that all the countries have made new steps towards the EU. But the Western Balkans is still far from the job having been done, Solana said at a conference in Brussels, organised on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the Dayton peace agreement.
On 9 November the EC recommended granting Macedonia candidate status and the EU member countries will voice their position on the recommendation by the end of the year. Croatia started EU entry talks on 3 October, Serbia and Montenegro and Albania are conducting negotiations on a Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA), and Bosnia-Herzegovina is expected to officially start talks on an SAA today.
We have made a commitment towards a group of countries and we must not fail, even if the EU is not much interested in further enlargement at present, Solana said.