At a time when the Western Balkans frequently speaks about European integration but less often delivers concrete results, the message from the Adria Future Summit in Tivat was direct: without real regional cooperation, the path to the European Union remains largely declarative.
The Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), Amer Kapetanović, stressed that cooperation among regional countries is not a political luxury but a prerequisite for being taken seriously in Brussels. In an increasingly fragmented geopolitical climate and amid growing economic uncertainty, he argued that the Western Balkans must choose coherence over isolation.
“Rruga drejt BE-së kalon përmes oborrit të fqinjit,” Kapetanović said, framing EU integration as a practical test of cooperation rather than a competition of political statements.
According to him, the focus must shift from rhetoric to implementation — from free movement and digital integration to the green transition and the creation of a more unified regional market. Investors, he noted, do not follow speeches but results.
In this context, the RCC plays a key role in translating political agreements into concrete projects, particularly through the Regional Common Market initiative and the Berlin Process, both aimed at reducing barriers and gradually aligning the region with the EU single market.
The Adria Future Summit, held from 22 to 24 April in Tivat, brought together political leaders, business representatives, and international organizations to discuss sustainable development, innovation, and investment in the region.
A special focus of the summit is also placed on the role of youth in regional cooperation and challenges such as disinformation and media literacy, increasingly seen as part of the “infrastructure” of European integration.
The overarching message from Tivat is clear and less diplomatic: EU integration is not achieved through joint declarations, but through joint results.
