The European Union's proposed new system for adding members is meant to reinstate the bloc's influence in the Western Balkans, the bloc's enlargement commissioner said Thursday.
There are worries that if the EU doesn't do more to attract countries in the Balkans, then some may look to bolster relations with Russia and China. The bloc is already under pressure after losing the diplomatic and geopolitical clout of Britain, which left the bloc last weekend.
EU commissioner, Oliver Varhelyi, who started his tour of the region in Serbia, said he wants to "reinforce" the EU's leverage.
"With the new commission, EU enlargement policy and involvement with the Western Balkans is ever a greater priority," Varhelyi said.
