The Commission released the 2013-14 enlargement strategy and annual progress reports for candidate and potential candidates, including six Western Balkan countries - Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, Macedonia, Serbia, and Kosovo.
"A shared vision by the political representatives on the overall direction and future of the country, or on how it should function, remains absent. Despite intensive facilitation efforts by the EU, the country's political representatives could not agree on a solution to implement the European Court of Human Rights judgement in the Sejdic-Finci case regarding discrimination against citizens on grounds of ethnicity," the Commission said in the Progress Report on Bosnia and Herzegovina, reiterating that the "judgement needs to be implemented as a matter of urgency" for the activation of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) signed in 2008 and ratified in 2011.
No progress was achieved in the other key requirement, "establishing an effective coordination mechanism on EU-related matters between various levels of government. Such a coordination mechanism is essential to enable the representatives of Bosnia and Herzegovina to speak on behalf of their country and to commit when interacting with the EU."
The signing of an agreement on the normalisation of relations with Kosovo enabled Serbia to make headway in European integration. In June, the Council adopted a decision to open accession negotiations, which is expected to happen in January at the latest. Serbia is required to do a lot of hard work in judicial reform and the promotion and protection of sexual minorities' rights.
For Serbia to open European Union entry talks in January, member countries need to unanimously adopt a negotiating framework in December but there is still no complete agreement on it. Germany and Great Britain seek that normalisation of relations with Kosovo be set as a requirement from the very start of the accession negotiations.
Kosovo met the short term requirements for opening negotiations on an SAA. They are expected to be opened by the end of October and wrapped up by next summer. In the Progress Report, Kosovo was criticised for corruption, organised crime and political influence on the media and the judiciary.
The Commission has recommended that Albania be granted EU candidate status. Albania applied for EU membership in 2009 but the Commission set many conditions for recommending candidate status. A key requirement was that parliamentary elections in June be held "in an overall smooth and orderly manner," prompting the Commission to recommend candidate status "on the understanding that Albania continues to take action in the fight against organised crime and corruption."
In order to be able to move to the next stage and open accession negotiations, Albania needs to meet further key priorities, with particular focus on the rule of law, the Progress Report says.
Macedonia, which was granted EU candidate status in December 2005, received a fifth recommendation for the opening of accession negotiations. So far, they have not been opened because of opposition from Greece, which does not allow Macedonia to use its constitutional name. This time the Commission recommended beginning the screening of Macedonia in the acquis chapters "Judiciary and Fundamental Rights" and "Justice, Freedom and Security."
Montenegro opened the EU accession negotiations in June 2012. Screening was done for all the policy chapters, two have been opened and closed, and preparations are under way for opening the two toughest chapters - "Judiciary and Fundamental Rights" and "Justice, Freedom and Security."
The European Commission wants all Western Balkan countries to pay more attention to the economy and high unemployment. No Western Balkan country has the status of a functional market economy.
As key challenges for all countries with membership prospects, the Commission mentioned the economy, higher competitiveness, the rule of law, the functioning of institutions which guarantee democratic order, freedom of expression, fundamental rights and dealing with the past.
The Commission underscored that homophobia, discrimination and hatred on sexual orientation grounds are widespread in the Western Balkans.
The Commission called on Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia to agree as soon as possible to changes of their Stabilisation and Association Agreements so as to keep the traditional trade volume between EU and Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA) member countries after Croatia's EU accession on July 1.
In Serbia's case, this has already brought results, with the Commission saying that Serbia had agreed to its demands to allow Croatia to continue to export cigarettes at privileged duties in the same volume as before Croatia joined the EU.
After Croatia's accession, the Commission began negotiations on changes to Stabilisation and Association Agreements which the EU has with Western Balkan countries because by joining the EU, Croatia left the CEFTA.