The German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, said that he is committed to the expansion of the European Union to include the six countries of the Western Balkans, but also Ukraine and Moldova, as well as Georgia. From Prague, Mr. Scholz said that the European Union should be able to discuss and agree on a number of changes in order to face external rivals such as Russia and China.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Monday called on European Union countries to be able to discuss and agree on a series of changes to counter external rivals such as Russia and China.

In a speech at “Charles” University in Prague, Mr. Scholz said that the EU should be ready for enlargement, decisions that require unanimous votes.

According to him, the Russian aggression in Ukraine is a call that the European Union should wake up and change the way it makes decisions. As for the expansion, the German Chancellor said that he is in favor of supporting the Western Balkans.

“I am committed to the expansion of the European Union, including the states of the Western Balkans, Ukraine, Moldova and in the future also Georgia. EU enlargement is necessary to ensure stability within Europe and to protect common values.

The European Council granted candidate country status to Ukraine and Moldova in June and secured the European perspective for Georgia. It is now a matter of taking membership pledges seriously. Candidate countries deserve continued support on their way to qualification. The countries of the Western Balkans have been waiting for membership for almost 20 years,” said the German chancellor.

While Europe lags behind global rivals when it comes to digitization and space exploration, Mr Scholz said the EU could become a global leader in the transition to a greener economy that would also help it become less dependent on suppliers foreign energy. Germany, which until recently lagged behind other NATO countries in terms of military spending, plans to invest heavily in its air defense in the coming years.

/Klara Ruci/