German chancellor: EU must rethink Western Balkans integration strategy

The European Union is preparing to develop a new enlargement strategy, with implementation potentially beginning after April, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said at the Munich Security Conference, according to Report's European bureau.

Merz directly linked progress on the issue to upcoming elections in Hungary. "Everyone in this room knows who is against this, but we must overcome it. Unanimous voting in the European Council is still required… At the latest after the elections in April, I hope we will be able to open the next chapters [negotiation clusters for EU accession] and bring you closer to the European Union, so that you ultimately become members," he said.

The chancellor stressed that the countries of the Western Balkans, as part of Europe, should become an integral part of the bloc. "I do not want to lose you. You are part of the European continent," Merz said in response to a question from the President of Montenegro regarding his country's EU membership prospects.

Merz also acknowledged that he feels "increasingly uncomfortable" with the European Union's current approach toward the Balkan states.