SOFIA – Prime ministers of the Western Balkans participated in Sofia at a working lunch of the WB6 leaders that was organised by Prime Minister of Bulgaria Boyko Borissov, with the participation of President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini and European Commissioner for Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn.
The meeting was organised at the end of the Juncker’s Western Balkan tour to promote the European Commission’s Strategy for the Western Balkans.
Prime Minister and current President of the Council of the European Union Borissov, on behalf of the country presiding over the EU Council, and President Juncker assessed that the Union messages contained in the Strategy are well received in the Region and emphasised that they represent a sign of the Union’s long-term commitment to the region and its European future.
The discussion focused on the individual progress of the Western Balkan countries in the process of integration, which is a valid principle affirmed in the Strategy, as well as on how to make the time before important events such as the EU-WB Summit best used both by the Region and the EU.
To that end, further steps have been agreed on in order to implement the obligations under the Connectivity Agenda, in particular concrete infrastructure projects, as well as the regional economic space. In this respect, Adriatic-Ionian corridor is emphasised in the context of Montenegro as part of the integration into European corridors.