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The question of Turkey’s entry into the EU has been put high on the agenda of European policy. This policy, however, does not seem to take much account of the Balkan countries, which are firmly on European territory and are indubitably closer to the EU than Turkey and not only geographically: history, culture and faith also unite the Balkans with the Union. The Balkans, on the other hand, have always represented a probable hotbed of instability. In Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo and Macedonia it is the international forces that are maintaining peace for the time being. So it cannot be forgotten that the stability of these lands, founded on their history and culture, is of fundamental importance for the future of Europe. The prospects of European liberal policy are based instead on common economic interests and ignore the contribution of the Christian tradition both of Eastern and Western Europe and the ever-greater influence of Islam. It is just in the Balkans that the Christian traditions and Islam intersect. It is therefore indispensable for the development of the EU to comprehend the reality of this part of the European continent. “The Union cannot permit the Balkans to be excluded from its field of vision. On the contrary, it is its duty to have them constantly on the order of the day,” said Erhard Busek, coordinator of the Stability Pact for south-eastern Europe in a speech to the Institute for International Relations in London in December 2004. It must do so, not only to protect itself from possible upheavals in this field, but also because it is a necessity and an opportunity: a necessity, because of aid to these countries and the need to plan the future of Europe; and an opportunity for the Union to get to know their still undiscovered riches. “Europe is little interested in the Balkans and continues to ignore the situation in these countries. Often it doesn’t even know that Catholics live there” – Archbishop Stanislav Hoèevar of Belgrade has frequently declared ; “the Balkans, on the one hand, wish to open themselves to Europe and work hand in hand with the EU; on the other, they want to maintain their own independence and what is peculiarly their own: history, faith, tradition and culture”. The population, especially the Catholic population, aspires to these relations with the Union. The Orthodox community is more cautious, since it fears the European influence and the secularisation that could threaten its tradition. The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, that unites the Christians of the various Churches throughout the world (18-25 January), is also an opportunity to remind European public opinion that the situation of the Balkans is not yet resolved and that the European governments ought to commit themselves to the ratification of the Constitutional Treaty of the EU which, in spite of its lack of any reference to the Christian roots of Europe, does, in article 51, guarantee open, transparent and constant dialogue with the Church and recognizes the validity of her contribution for the common good. Perhaps the ratification of this treaty will ensure that the politicians will keep their eyes fixed on the Balkans.
