Izvor: N1 televizija, 10.Jul.2018, 16:24   (ažurirano 02.Apr.2020.)

EU Summit: Western Balkans strongly go forward

The European Union diplomacy chief Federica Mogherini said on Tuesday that the region was strongly heading forward and that the block was committed to a joint future, a European Commission (EC) statement said.

Premiers, foreign and interior ministers from the Western Balkans met with the partners from several EU member states in London on Monday for the two-day block’s Summit on the region to increase the cooperation >> Pročitaj celu vest na sajtu N1 televizija << among six regional countries and between the region and the EU.

Mogherini, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and a deputy EC president, added that in recent years the Union had been working on closer relations with the region both politically and economically.

“We have seen extraordinary results, solutions to some most difficult issues. The Western Balkans energetically goes ahead. We confirm today that we are on that road together with the region, that we share the commitment to our common future,” Mogherini said, as quoted by the statement.

The EU Commissioner for Enlargement Johannes Hahn and the Commissioner for Security Julian King also attend the summit.

The EC statement added that the focus in the social-economic development would be on the implementation of the Action Plan for the establishment of the Regional Economic Area agreed upon during the last meeting within the Berlin Process held in Trieste in 2017.

The Area should see increased local investments, the rise in trade and the creation of new jobs.

The Summit's agenda also includes the talks about the digital skills, the financing of small and medium enterprises, as well as start-ups and the regional engagement in the energy transition to make better use of its substantial hydro potential.

To support these plans, the EC will, together with its financial partners, come out with a new mechanism of guarantees through an Investment Framework for the Western Balkans (WBIF) early next year.

With the EU’s 150 million Euros for 2019-2020, the aim is that those guarantees reach a billion Euros in investments into the sustainable social-economic development.

The EC statement has said that apart from the economic and financial issues, the London Summit is an opportunity to improve the cooperation among law enforcement agencies in the Western Balkans, including the exchange of information.

The participants at the Summit also discuss the corruption and security, and the Western Balkans’ representatives have said they remain committed to fighting corruption.

The EC also insists on good neighbourly relations in the region and the exchange of opinions about the bilateral issues from the past.

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