Brexit: UK government to host summit on why other countries should join the EU

UK says EU accession is important for the 'security, stability and prosperity' of six states outside the bloc

The British government will host a summit encouraging six European countries to join the EU for the sake of their “security, stability and prosperity”, months before it is due to sign its own Brexit withdrawal deal with Brussels.

London will in July play host to Western Balkans governments including Serbia and Albania, as well as existing EU member states, to discuss reforms to pave the way to future EU enlargement.

The summit is part of the so-called Berlin Process – a series of meetings aimed at supporting the region towards joining the bloc and described by the European parliament’s research arm as “bringing a new perspective and impetus to the enlargement process”.

Critics said the UK government must have “a sense of humour” for hosting a conference on EU enlargement and extolling the benefits of accession as Britain itself headed towards the exit door.

The leaders of EU candidate countries Albania, Montenegro, Macedonia, and Serbia will attend, as well as those of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Kosovo – two states who have both expressed an interest in joining the bloc but have not yet been accepted as candidates.

They will be joined by representatives of the governments of EU countries with an interest in the region such as Austria, Croatia, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Slovenia and Bulgaria.

Asked about the summit and the UK’s position on the Western Balkans’ membership of the EU, a Foreign Office spokesperson told The Independent: “We remain of the view that the EU accession process is important to delivering security, stability and prosperity in the Western Balkans.

We remain of the view that the EU accession process is important to delivering security, stability and prosperity in the Western Balkans

Foreign Office spokesperson

“As and when candidate countries have met the requirements for accession in full, it will be for those countries and European Union members at the time to decide on membership.”

Tom Brake, the Liberal Democrats’ Brexit spokesperson and a supporter of the Best for Britain campaign, said: “Someone at the Foreign Office must have a sense of humour in organising a conference to promote membership of the EU for the Western Balkan countries. Just as we seem set on leaving the EU, we start advising others to join. Government policy would not look out of place in the theatre of the absurd.”

Mr Brake said of foreign secretary Boris Johnson: “This just shows how incompetent Boris is. I wouldn’t let him run a bath, let alone the Foreign Office.”

The government says the London summit will focus on “facilitating political cooperation” in the region, “strengthening regional security cooperation” and “increasing economic stability with a view to improving the business environment”.

The London meeting will follow a summit in the Bulgarian capital of Sofia scheduled for Thursday in which EU leaders, including Theresa May, discuss the future of the region. European Council president Donald Tusk said that meeting would “aim to strengthen connections both with and within the region” and “boost cooperation in areas of mutual interest, including security and migration”.

Last month the European Commission endorsed the formal start of accession talks with Macedonia and Albania, which have been candidates since 2005 and 2014 respectively. In February the commission said Montenegro and Serbia, which have already been in active negotiations since 2012 and 2014, could be EU members by 2025 if talks continued to go to plan.

Britain’s attitude to other countries joining the European Union appears unchanged since its own decision to leave. In September 2016 Mr Johnson, who campaigned to leave the EU, confirmed Britain would still push for Turkey to join the block – even though Mr Johnson’s Vote Leave campaign played on the spectre of Turkish accession to drive the Leave vote. Turkey has technically been a candidate since 1999 but talks have all but ground to a halt.