EU presents annual enlargement package covering Western Balkans, Turkey

The European Union (EU) on Tuesday presented the annual enlargement package covering the Western Balkans countries and Turkey, saying the enlargement process is key to strengthened stability in the region.

The European Commission said in a press release it has assessed where the countries of the Western Balkans stand in preparing to meet EU membership requirements, and set out what needs to be done to address the remaining challenges.

In a report on Turkey, the Commission commended the Turkish government for making progress toward EU membership in some areas, such as continued political dialogue, cooperation on visas, migration and energy, but also emphasized "an overall negative trend in the respect for the rule of law".

The Commission reaffirmed the focus on the principle of fundamentals first in the accession process, including the rule of law, public administration reform, as well as economic development.

"While there has been important progress over the past year, major challenges remain," said the report.

EU Commissioner for European Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn said: "The current refugee crisis shows how crucial close cooperation between the EU and the countries in southeast Europe is."

"Our firm commitment to EU enlargement, and to the conditions it involves, is therefore a long-term investment in Europe's own security and prosperity," he said. Endit