Eurotopics.net

At the EU-Western Balkans summit in Tirana, EU leaders have affirmed their determination to accelerate the EU accession process for the Western Balkan states. A precondition for integration is "credible reforms" in Albania, Serbia, Northern Macedonia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro and Kosovo, as well as their support for sanctions against Russia. According to the summit's final declaration, the Balkan states will also receive one billion euros to tackle the energy crisis. What further steps are needed?

At the meeting of EU finance ministers, Hungary has refused to approve 18 billion euros in financial aid for Ukraine. Although Prime Minister Viktor Orbán denies it, the veto is widely interpreted as a means of putting pressure on Brussels to turn a blind eye to Hungary's deficits in the area of the rule of law. The decision on the EU Commission's proposal to freeze certain EU funds for Hungary has been postponed.

Government representatives have convened in Montreal for the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15), which ends on 19 December. Commentators observe with concern that the meetings to promote species conservation are receiving less attention than the climate conferences, the most recent of which was COP27 in Egypt.