Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung published highly critical comments for the EU enlargement policy from its Balkan correspondent Michael Martens. Martens asks whether it’s time to look for other forms of integration of the Balkans – more economic and less political, and cites Macedonia as the prime example of a country which accepted all sorts of demands and still didn’t get a clear enlargement perspective.

In 2004 eight former Communist countries, as well as Malta and Cyprus were admitted. Three years later Romania and Bulgaria followed, even though they didn’t meet the key condition – functioning rule of law. In 2013 Croatia was the last newcomer who snuck through the Balkan gates. Since then the door has been closed. For the six Balkan countries that want to join the EU the message is clear: the old principle that engaged reforms will at one point lead to EU membership no longer applies. Nobody felt it clearer than Macedonia which even changed its name under Greek demand so that it can begin EU accession talks. Yet the Greek veto was followed by a French veto, and then a Bulgarian veto, this time over the alleged stolen history and language of the Slavic Macedonians. The enlargement process is filled with political traps that have little to do with the reform efforts of the candidate countries, Martens writes in FAZ.

FAZ asks that the EU should look for a different policy to preserve its influence in the Balkans against countries like Russia, China and Turkey, if enlargement is no longer valid. And as a possible solution, the correspondent points to a 2003 call from Balkan leaders that their countries are treated as EU member states in their access to EU funds, even though they don’t have the political rights that come with full EU membership. FAZ notes that this is a region that represents just 3.5 percent of the EU population, and is even less significant financially, and would not require much in investments that could help with the demographic death spiral.

Balkan countries have refused alternatives to full EU membership – most notably Macedonian President Stevo Pendarovski recently said that he was offered membership in the European Economic Area but declined. Still, it’s not clear whether they will persist in this is actual membership remain elusive.