Putins Krieg sei zum Haupttreiber der EU-Erweiterung geworden, sagt der kroatische Premierminister
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-09-30/putin-s-war-has-become-key-driver-of-eu-expansion-croat-pm-says?utm_campaign=socialflow-organic&utm_source=twitter&cmpid=socialflow-twitter-business&utm_content=business&utm_medium=social
Von Beautiful-Health-976
11 Comments
From Bloomberg:
Russian President Vladimir Putin unwittingly became the largest catalyst for European Union expansion after his 2022 invasion of Ukraine pushed more countries toward the bloc, Croatia’s prime minister said.
“Over the past two and a half years, we have seen a strategic shift in the European capitals being more open toward the enlargement,” Andrej Plenkovic, 54, told Bloomberg TV in an interview in New York late Friday. “I believe that Vladimir Putin was the biggest promoter of enlargement.”
The EU in June [agreed to open negotiations](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-06-21/eu-to-open-membership-talks-with-ukraine-moldova-next-week) with Ukraine and its smaller neighbor, Moldova, over membership in the bloc, an important step in a process that’s likely going to take years.
Earlier this year, EU leaders also [agreed to start talks](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-03-21/eu-agrees-to-start-talks-with-bosnia-in-latest-enlargement-push) with Bosnia-Herzegovina, seeking to pull the divided country closer to Europe and counter growing Russian influence. Another five nations in the Western Balkans are at various stages of the accession process.
“In the next five years, especially in the mandate of the new Commission, it will be interesting to see how every one of them will make progress and fulfill the criteria,” said Plenkovic. “We are always ready to support the progress of our neighbors.”
A former European diplomat, Plenkovic is currently serving a third consecutive term as prime minister after his center-right Croatian Democratic Union won parliamentary elections in April. He was in New York last week for the annual session of the United Nations General Assembly.
A staunch supporter of Ukraine in its war against Russian invasion, Plenkovic plans to host a summit in early October in Dubrovnik with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and leaders from Southeast Europe.
“The idea is to demonstrate solidarity and support to Ukraine from the group of countries with a lot of historic connections with Ukraine and the Ukrainian people,” he said. Leaders will support the government in Kyiv “in their endeavor for freedom, for territorial integrity, but also on how to ensure that Ukrainian economy functions well in the difficult circumstances.”
Commenting on [growing tensions](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-09-13/vucic-calls-for-local-election-in-serb-populated-north-of-kosovo) between Kosovo and Serbia, Croatia’s former foe, Plenkovic told Bloomberg TV that their only path to the EU is to continue an EU-facilitated dialog. US involvement in the process is “crucially important” as well, he added.
The EU will fall apart. It has no future…
Except for a number of bot like humans it seems very obvious we either work together or will get eaten by a bear. Don’t be like the Serbian bot account below.
Finally a sane person… Georgia and Ukraine need NATO and EU to survive and not to attack Russia… They attacked Georgia in 1992 (NATO wasn’t even a topic) and 2008… We then all know Ukraine story… Kursk was the first time they felt what they have been doing for the past century as USSR (same thing today but renamed as Russia) and beforehand as Ruzzian Empire… And most people don’t know what was happening inside these evil states (Putin glazers think it was a good loving society until the west intervened)…
Finland and Baltics are EU/NATO and they are way closer to Moscow and St Peterburg than it’s either from Georgia or Ukraine… these are just some facts… when they say one thing and then act another way or try to overwrite the history like Putin tried during Tucker Carlson interview (it honestly should be taught at unis how not to be a journalist), that’s the real villain and not people that just want to distance themselves from aggressor and finally live their lives!
Plenky continues to play the good boy in EU to detract from the fact that he is killing press freedom in Croatia and trying to turn us into Hungary
Which is dumb. The EU is supposed a union of likeminded and well behaved democratic nations. Its not supposed to be just an anti RUssian union. Thats NATO. The EU must vet throughly countries that join. There must have been substantial anti corruption and rule of justice reforms.
still fat, I see…
Uh, thanks, I guess?
Same for NATO – think about Sweden and Finland.
Before war in Ukraine, probably very few thought that Sweden and Finland will join NATO.
Glad to have them on board!
But at the same time we see euroskeptics winning elections (Austria, Germany, Netherlands) or nearly winning them (France) in established EU democracies.
And what countries are added to EU in last 3 years? Yes they gave some countries candidate status or opened negotiations, but expansion is still on hold. There are talks about Montenegro becoming member by 2027, but we will see how true is that.