Some Balkan countries deluding themselves into becoming EU members: Serbian president

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said Tuesday that some Balkan countries are deluding themselves into becoming members of the EU.

"Last night I heard the fantasies of some who are deluding themselves into believing that they will become EU members the day after tomorrow. That is not realistic, not because they will always come up with something, but because there are objective reasons for this in the Union,'' Vucic said in a news conference following a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Athens.

Vucic claimed that of the 27 members in the Union, 10 countries finance the others and that is the reason the bloc is not accepting new members.

''There are no others who can be so-called net contributors, they cannot accept new ones at present, of course, they are pushing for Ukraine because it is at war and doing work for all of them and must get some incentive, but as soon as I hear remarks about rule of law, I see where it's all going," he said.

The Western Balkans is home to three EU candidate states: Montenegro, Serbia and North Macedonia.