The prospect of EU membership has been a powerful incentive for reform in the region, which was torn apart by war in the 1990s, but tensions still linger. The Commission said that Serbia and Montenegro could be allowed in by around 2025 if they meet all the conditions. Juncker also underlined in particular that "there can be no further accession for Western Balkans countries without border disputes having first been resolved." Croatia and Slovenia — both EU members — are locked in a border dispute stemming from the breakup of former Yugoslavia in the 1990s. Further east, Turkey is also a candidate for EU membership but its accession talks are at a standstill.

Source: ABC News February 06, 2018 09:43 UTC