Current and potential candidate countries to the EU must continue to reform and improve key issues, such as freedom of expression, the treatment of minority ethnic groups and the struggle against corruption and organised crime, according to a resolution approved by the European Parliament, on 26 November, on the European Commission’s 2009 enlargement strategy.

In general terms, the Parliament reiterated its commitment to enlargement but underlined the need to be firm with candidate countries on their obligation to respect any political criteria coming out of December’s Copenhagen summit on the environment. On freedom of expression, the resolution asks Turkey and the Western Balkans to ensure the media operate without political influence and that judicial regulation should be put in place.

The MEPs asked the authorities in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Albania to take measures to fulfil all the criteria for visa liberalisation for their citizens by July 2010. The Commission was asked to take part in a dialogue on visas with the Kosovar authorities “as soon as possible”.

The resolution detailed that bilateral disagreements, such as those between Croatia and Slovenia or between Macedonia and Greece, would not be an obstacle in making progress towards accession but must be resolved before the concerned parties acceded. Among the criteria for the Balkans were the need to cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and an improvement in the situation for minority ethnic groups, particularly the Roma. n