Western Balkan leaders view 2018 as vital for their countries’ giant step towards EU


The Western Balkan leaders view 2018 as a vital year for their countries to make a giant step towards the EU accession, as well as for boosting the regional cooperation under full support of EU instruments.

This was said late Monday at a meeting of Western Balkan leaders with of EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini, Macedonia’s Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said on his Facebok profile.

‘The top news in 2017 for the Western Balkans was the European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker’s announcement of a new EU Enlargement Strategy. This Strategy and its guidelines was the main subject of discussion. The conclusion of the meetings was that all Western Balkan countries should view this Strategy as a clear signal for their European perspective. Each Western Balkan country should advance on the basis of own reform progress in key areas,’ Zaev said.

The EU Enlargement Strategy, due to be released in February, provides the guidelines for the accession of Serbia and Montenegro by 2025 and the future steps on the EU path for Albania, Macedonia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo.

PM Zaev along with Western Balkans counterparts took part late Monday in Brussels at an informal meeting with Mogherini.

At the third meeting of this kind this year, the High Representative and the Prime Ministers also discussed the current developments in the Western Balkans and the outlook for 2018, a year that will offer the partners in the region a unique opportunity to advance on the European Union integration path.

“The European Union is committed to strengthening the EU engagement with the region and ensuring that all Western Balkans Six take the necessary steps to render their progress towards the European Union irreversible”, the European External Action Service said in a press release.