TRIESTE – Brussels wants the Western Balkan countries to become EU member states, one of the key reasons being to keep young people in their countries, EU Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn said in Trieste on Wednesday.
Speaking at a Western Balkans Six Summit, held as part of the Berlin Process, Hahn said this would reduce tensions from the past.
Politics has the task of ensuring a framework, while the responsibility for economic ties lies with the business community, he said.
Highlighting the significance of the Western Balkan region – a market of 20 million consumers – for the EU economy, Hahn said the trade volume between EU states and countries in the region over the past decade had been 44 mln euros.
We are here to see what has been done in the Berlin Process so far, and set further tasks, he added.