Sweden’s Bildt says Western Balkans moving ahead with EU bids

Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt said on Saturday (January 30th) that Western Balkan countries have made significant progress and are moving fast along their road to EU integration.Bildt acknowledged some open issues in the region, but said the situation is nevertheless much better than in the last six months of 2009, when Sweden held the EU’s rotating presidency. He also suggested that as early as this spring, Serbia’s request for EU membership candidacy might be forwarded by the European Council to the European Commission for review. As for Bosnia and Herzegovina, he urged leaders to amend the country’s constitution and prepare for its EU membership bid.