Not a path to membership but a diplomatic attempt to put a lid on the cesspool. As it is, organized crime controls trade and the goods are people. This has lead to import of the regional conflicts into the EU member states to the point that the rivaling gangs are rolling around fighting in the streets. The dead bodies are starting to pile up and their competition for territory is taking its toll on the natives.

As all kinds of fortresses and fences are/will be useless and the situation is going to soak up wads of money to rectify anyway, spending it over there in an effort to stabilize the situation seems to be the chosen route.