Mucunski: EU enlargement process should be guided by strategy, not bureaucracy

Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Minister Timčo Mucunski took part in the ministerial session “Geopolitical Turbulence: Central and Southeastern Europe in the World of Corridors, Security and Enlargement,” organised as part of the Bled Strategic Forum.

During his address, Mucunski spoke about current geopolitical developments and security challenges, the strategic role of transport corridors, the region’s resilience and the European path of the Western Balkans.

He stressed that NATO membership brings significant benefits through information sharing and joint resilience and deterrence policies. However, he assessed that the region continues to face security risks.

In this context, Mucunski mentioned Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, the influence and activities of China and Iran, as well as broader conventional and unconventional threats, including cyber influence and attempts at economic coercion.

He paid particular attention to the strategic value of Corridors VIII and X. According to him, our country is the only one in the region where these two corridors intersect, making transport and energy infrastructure directly important for economic, political and security resilience.

Speaking about European integration, Mucunski stressed that, alongside investments in infrastructure and regional connectivity, a clear political commitment to the enlargement of the European Union is also needed.

“If Europe wants to speak the language of geopolitics, then enlargement cannot be viewed through the logic of bureaucracy. A strategic vision is needed. When candidate countries make progress and are fully aligned with the European Union’s Common Foreign and Security Policy, that progress must be visible,” Mucunski said.