Western Balkan Faultlines - Eu Foreign Minsters Western Balkans Debate Postponed

EU foreign ministers were scheduled to hold a debate with and about the Western Balkans during their meeting next Monday, but it has been moved to the next meeting in May.

The region that has been on the back burner for so long may be back with a vengeance – making headlines again, thanks to a controversial non-paper proposing a redrawing of borders along ethnic lines.

Asked about why the Western Balkans debate has been postponed, a senior EU official told EURACTIV that such a debate would require an in-person meeting, instead of a video link.

“This is why we need a good and rich debate – and we think that that debate should be in person,” he said, adding that in May the set-up will be a “very frank and open discussion” among foreign ministers, with input from Special Representative Miroslav Lajcak, member states and regional leaders.

“The situation in the Western Balkans is evolving in different directions, but not all of them are positive,” the EU official told EURACTIV.

Meanwhile, a phantom document proposing controversial border changes across the Western Balkans caused a political storm in the region and in Brussels this week.

While most EU officials had little knowledge of the elusive document, the office of European Council President Charles Michel could not deny receiving it.

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