Addressing London's Royal Institute of International Affairs on the day of the European Council (December 17), Dr. Erhard Busek urged EU leaders not to allow the debate over Turkey's application to dominate the entire European political agenda.

The Special Co-ordinator of the Stability Pact for South East Europe argued that if the EU did not pay enough attention to the Balkans now, the region might become "a potentially unstoppable source of illegal migrants, prostitution, and organised crime."

Mounting Euroscepticism and an enlargement fatigue have recently pushed the Balkans further down the priority list, he said.   Regarding their European perspective, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and Albania "not only have to shoot at a moving target, but have to do so in the dark."

"To be honest, I feel that no-one in the EU today actually knows what the real European prospects of these countries are."

He also made observations regarding some of the political messages coming from the EU's current peripheries.   "For domestic political purposes, Ukraine's pro-Western forces are looking toward Brussels for a promise of EU membership.  I also notice that, more and more, politicians are issuing conditions and warnings.  The Serbian government says the Kosovo solution can only be settled once the province becomes an EU region... the Turkish Prime Minister says that violence from Islamic extremists could escalate if the EU rejects Turkey as a member.  The EU has never been "forced to enlarge" - this is a new reality, a reality that European politicians and citizens might not be ready for."

Speaking in London ahead of the upcoming UK Presidency of the European Union (starting in July 2005), Busek also warned about the challenges of 2005.

"The fate of the Serbia and Montenegro union is still undecided, while Belgrade and Pristina do not wish to negotiate with each other about Kosovo's future status.   At the moment, only the international community can bring them to a negotiating table.  The EU will need to have a consistent policy, and we will need to make sure that - within the Contact Group - Russia is on board.  Whatever solution is found, it will have serious ramifications for the rest of the region," he said.

For further enquiries contact Spokesman Dragan Barbutovski on +32 (498) 982 984.

Speech by SC Busek