The European Parliament demands the opening of the archives of the former Yugoslavia

European Union flags in Brussels 

 The links between organized crime, politics, and business existed before the break-up of Yugoslavia and have continued since the end of the 1990s conflicts. MEPs condemn the apparent lack of will of the responsible authorities in the region to open the archives of the former Yugoslavia and to give the files to governments if they wish.

This was stated in the report adopted the night before by the European Parliament.

"The archives must be opened. This will be a key precondition for mutual trust in the societies of the six Western Balkan countries," said Lukas Mandl, MEP, and author of the document, Euronews Albania reports.

MEPs also stress the importance of the Western Balkan countries cooperating and sharing intelligence with member states and international partners.

The author of the document, Lukas Mandl, after the approval of this report, stated that organized crime undermines citizens' trust in their public institutions.

"Organized crime undermines citizens' trust in their public institutions and in each other. This is why it is a major obstacle to the efforts of societies in the Western Balkans to develop their states and economies. "The EU should not use organized crime as an excuse to delay the enlargement process, but should stand by the people of the Western Balkans in their fight against organized crime..