Saturday morning’s European Council sessions saw the provisions of a draft proposal being debated among member states, with a request of reform in multiple fields of the Western Balkan states. In particular, the Council requested for a furthering of departization in public administration and the continuation of decentralization within the economies of the Western Balkans. Legal reform was also heavily discussed in formal debates and moderated and unmoderated caucuses, specifically in the area of judicial reform and the continued prosecution of corruption and organized crime. The inclusion of a human rights provision was also stressed during this morning’s debates from an alliance of Romania, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Croatia, Hungary, Poland, Slovenia, Malta, and Italy, with a proposition that emphasized the importance of the equality of access to education for ethnic minorities within the Western Balkans and the preservation of media freedom.
Other issues discussed in the European Council that will continue to be prevalent in debates are the recognition of Kosovo and the of the renaming of the Former Yugoslavian Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), however precise resolutions to these problems have not yet been found.
by Kayle Crosson