No, Remain MPs, this is not ‘fake news’, it comes from the EU itself
Tusk: “No stable and safe Europe without the integration of all the Balkans in the EU”
More proof that ‘Remain’ is far from being the ‘status quo’
On Tuesday last week, President Donald Tusk of the EU Council — the EU’s highest decision-making body — visited the capital of Albania and made the following extraordinary announcement.
THE EU COUNCIL PRESIDENT LAST WEEK:
“There will be no stable and safe Europe without the integration of all the Balkans in the EU.”
This follows a previous statement by the EU’s de facto Foreign and Defence Secretary:-“The big loser of the game that currently is being played will be the UK.”
“When we talk about the future of the EU, we have to take into consideration that countries, especially in the Western Balkans, will eventually become members of the European Union so we will be more than 27.
”Federica Mogherini, Vice-President of EU Commission
The Western Balkans countries
When the EU’s intentions come to pass,
the EU will lose one country, add six,
and lose $2.72 TRILLION dollars of GDP per year
The economy of the Balkans: $111.8 billion for all six countries COMBINED
Economy of the UK $2,828.6 billion — 25 times as large
The population of the Balkans. 17.7 million
Population of the UK. 67.5 million
There are six Balkans countries:
Albania
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Kosovo (still not recognised by the UN and many countries around the world)
Montenegro
North Macedonia
Serbia
Very broadly speaking, the six Western Balkans countries are situated north of Greece and south of Croatia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria. They ‘fill in a gap’ in the map of EU member states.
No, Remain MPs, this is not ‘fake news’, it comes from the EU itself
Remain MPs might like to know that the EU has been planning the accession of the six Balkans countries into the EU for over 15 years. The EU already has Stabilisation and Association Agreements (SAAs) in force with them all.
Four of the countries are official candidates for EU membership Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Albania. It was in Tirana, capital of Albania, that EU Council President Donald Tusk was speaking last week. The other two Western Balkans countries have been promised the prospect of joining when they are ready.
The GDP figures come from the World Bank and the population figures come from the UN from July this year.
Since the UK’s vote to leave the EU, this process has been accelerated
“We’re having some very difficult negotiations in Europe on Brexit, and this really is an opportunity for us to bring the Western Balkan peninsular on board as the UK withdraws from the EU.“On the 17th of May (2018) the European Council will be meeting. It’s going to be 27 plus 6 — the leaders of the Balkans will be there, meeting the leaders of the EU.”
Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, then holding the rotating EU Presidency
The ex-Communist de facto EU Foreign and Defence Secretary has also been heavily involved.
Here is Federica Mogherini at the World Economic Forum in late 2017, explaining how the EU would soon replace the UK with the Balkans:
The big loser of the game that currently is being played will be the UK.”
“We always think the EU future will be 27. Actually we are negotiating accession with several countries.”
“When we talk about the future of the EU, we have to take into consideration that countries, especially in the Western Balkans, will eventually become members of the European Union so we will be more than 27. The power of attraction of the EU is still extremely strong.”
Federica Mogherini, Vice-President of EU Commission
Donald Tusk’s speech in Albania last week went unreported in the UK, as with so many news items which might portray the prospect of remaining in the EU in a bad light.
This is a very difficult region in many ways, torn apart following the break-up of Yugoslavia, and the scene of foreign policy and military disasters for the EU. Given the geographical proximity, it is still felt by many that the EU’s actions (and inactions) did not constitute its finest hours.
Readers will no doubt wish the six Western Balkans countries well in their gradual development following some difficult decades. Crime and corruption are still endemic and it is hoped that this will improve eventually. The UK, of course, has been a significant global player in the region and still is, although we look forward to the day when the British Foreign Office is not hidebound by the foreign policies of the EU and can act with complete independence.
A great deal of UK Aid has of course been sent to the region over the years. Some of this aid has been ‘badged’ as EU Aid, but this will change once the UK has left the EU. In due course recipients of British donations will realise just how generous the UK is.
In the meantime, l wish the EU well as they try to sell the idea of six poor countries joining the EU to the taxpayers, in order to replace the fifth-largest economy in the World.
[ Sources: World Bank | UN | EU Commission | EU Council ]
