The Deutsche Welle commentator Klaus Dahman underlines that the decision to recognise Macedonia as a candidate for EU accession gave a clear signal to those who do not accept the multiethnic state created by the Ohrid Agreement. Nevertheless, before setting a date for the beginning of negotiations with Macedonia, the EU has announced a debate on fundamental issues of its enlargement policy for June 2006. Such a debate can take time, argues Klaus Dahmann in his commentary...

Kosovars belonging to different communities have similar associations with European integration, as the last edition of "Focus Kosovo" (an UNMIK publication, quoted by the blog Balkan Update) reveals: better standards of living, freedom of movement, respect of rights, democracy... but some critical voices are also to be heard.