Commissioner Várhelyi: Russian gas influence on Europe must be completely eliminated, Western Balkans is the key

The Western Balkans could become Europe’s “new energy gateway”, a region through which the EU could have supplies “via new routes, from different sources and in a much more reliable way”, Olivér Várhelyi, EU commissioner for neighbourhood policy and enlargement, told the Hungarian parliament’s European affairs committee on Monday.

Referring to an upcoming Western Balkans-EU summit in Tirana, Várhelyi said the selection of the venue “clearly indicates that enlargement has become one of three top priorities for the EU”. “Stability, security, and prosperity in Europe cannot be ensured without enlargement,” the commissioner said, adding that Europe could neither compete globally nor protect its regional geopolitical interests without fully integrating the Western Balkans.

Várhelyi said the enlargement process could be accelerated if “the great challenges facing the Western Balkans and Europe simultaneously are addressed in cooperation, whether it is the energy crisis or migration”.

Concerning energy, he noted a new European proposal to spend 2.5 billion euros on building a completely new energy network in the region.

On the subject of migration, Várhelyi said the number of illegal migrants had increased in the Western Balkans, reaching 2016 levels.

“It is clear that the Balkans cannot cope with the situation alone and the trend could destabilise the region without European assistance,”

he said adding that the EU is providing the region with 350 million euros to fight illegal migration, and an additional 70 million euros to finance efforts to combat human smuggling and organised crime as well as a contribution towards border controls.