France’s Ambassador Jean Louis Falconi said on Friday that his country is committed to supporting the Western Balkans on the way to membership in the European Union.

“We intend to fulfill that promise and these are not just words but a promise which has not been made to other regions,” he told the online conference on France and the European integration of the Western Balkans organized by the Belgrade Center for Security Policy.

The ambassador said that the talks on EU membership do not leave much room for negotiation, adding that a country that wants to join the Union is told what it has to do and should know that the EU does not want to weaken itself. He said that the candidate countries like Serbia and Montenegro are expecting to be told how to adapt to new methodology for expansion but that there is no word from Brussels yet.

Falconi said progress will be achieved if there is a will to progress but that depends on the region.