Zovko: The hegemonic approach of the former Yugoslavia must not be repeated in the enlargement process

Strasbourg, 21 October 2025

Member of the European Parliament and member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Željana Zovko, spoke today during the plenary session on the report regarding the institutional implications of the European Union enlargement process.

Zovko emphasized that Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and the end of the wars in the Western Balkans have demonstrated that enlargement is the only true instrument for bringing peace and security to the EU’s borders.

“Western Balkan countries have for years been trapped in the labyrinth of EU bureaucratic procedures and philosophical debates on whether we can even accept new members into our European family, or whether we first need to change the rules for decision-making”, Zovko warned.

She added that now is not the time for discussions on institutional reforms that do not respect equality between small and large Member States.

“Countries that have rejected the hegemonic ‘big brother’ approach in former alliances, whether fleeing Russian hegemony in the former Soviet Union or Serbian domination in the former Yugoslavia, will never accept being placed in an unequal position in future decision-making processes”, Zovko stressed.

She concluded that it is essential to uphold the principle of equality among all Member States: “Every country joining the European Union does so with the expectation of equality. This is not about charity, but a clear choice, on whether we want enlargement or not”.

 

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