The Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of Slovenia, Tanja Fajon, has said that the membership of the Western Balkan states in the European Union is “now or never”.
She made these comments during the Wachau European Forum in Austria, where the European integration of the Western Balkans is being discussed.
The Group of Friends of the Western Balkans, which has been in existence for a year, is a good proof that we must treat enlargement as a geostrategic necessity that needs political support. It’s now or never,” said Fajon in her speech.
The Slovenian minister, as Klan Kosova broadcasts, said that during the last two years, her country, together with the friends of the Western Balkans, has been strongly engaged in accelerating the European path of the BP countries and, according to her, the results have been visible.
“I recalled the commitment of Bled and the clear objectives for 2030. It is important that the positive trend and progress continue and that we do everything in the Union and in the countries of the Western Balkans to ensure that the enlargement happens as soon as possible. defeated”.
“One of the initiatives is the Slovenian-German proposal for the use of qualified majority in decision-making on enlargement issues. The fact is that the Western Balkans is at the heart of Europe and this should also become a political reality”.
“The alternative – if we are not decisive and quick enough – is to increase the influence of other countries, which are already accelerating their interests in the region,” Fajon said on the sidelines of the group’s meeting.
In the discussion, she recalled the composition of the new European Commission and expressed the hope that it will continue to put enlargement at the top of the EU’s agenda.
“It is also important to strengthen people’s confidence in the enlargement, both on the side of the Western Balkan countries and on the side of the EU, and to further expand our group of friends. I also welcome High Representative Borrell’s initiative to bring Western Balkan ministers together at the EU foreign ministers’ meeting on Monday. This should become a regular practice, as we have many common challenges in a complex world”, declared the Slovenian minister.
The foreign ministers of Kosovo, Albania, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Greece, Croatia, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Serbia, as well as the Secretary General of the Italian Foreign Ministry and a representative of the Commission took part in the meeting. European.
The meeting also resulted in the Gottweig Appeal, a document in support of further enlargement of the Union in the Western Balkans.
