Fuele Calls on Western Balkans to Define Borders

In an interview with daily Danas, the commissioner said that undefined borders could represent a significant obstacle on the EU path of these countries, adding that the European Commission has no jurisdiction when it comes to defining borders.

"These are bilateral problems and they must be solved between interested parties. This is especially true in the Western Balkans, a region that emerged from devastating wars which left many problems unsolved and many unfinished jobs that must be dealt with," the daily quoted him as saying.

Fuele paid his first visit to the Western Balkans last week, stopping in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania and Kosovo. The aim of the visit was to offer support to the countries and provide the region with political direction in its efforts to join the EU.

When asked whether Serbia will have to define its border with Kosovo, Fuele said that is important for any country that seeks to join the EU to deal with bilateral issues while working on its EU integration.

Speaking about finding a constructive solution to the problem of demarcation, Fuele said "wise men say that if there is a will, there is a way," adding that one way to achieve this is for the region to move closer to and eventually join the EU.

According to him, regional cooperation and good neighbourly relations are part of European values.

"It's natural to expect that all states that want to join the EU adopt these values. It's also true that the EU means a free flow of people, goods, capital and service, so the notion of borders is increasingly less important," he said.