Due to the war in Ukraine, Western Balkan countries seek accelerated EU accession, but Brussels officials say there is no political will among the 27 member states for their accession and that their entering too quickly makes no sense.
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PODGORICA Ecological concerns are piling up on a billion-dollar stretch of new highway through a picturesque river canyon at the confluence of competing influences in the Balkans.
The delayed, 42-kilometer section of Montenegro s Bar-to-Boljare motorway is already under intense scrutiny over the cash-strapped Adriatic coast nation s decision seven years ago to hire a Chinese builder and take on nearly $1 billion in debt to construct it.
This week, under public pressure, the China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) requested permission to repair a damaged 500-meter section of riverbank on the UNESCO-protected Tara River traversed by the highway.
The Chinese company s proposal on May 10 reportedly included stabilizing the left bank of the waterway under the alpine Matesevo bridge, near a hub for mountain tourism in the area called Kolasin.