Mariya Gabriel: For Bulgaria, the integration of the Western Balkans is high on the EU agenda
08 April 2024 News
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Mariya Gabriel took part in the EU meets the Balkans forum. The event was organised by Member of the European Parliament Ilhan Kyuchyuk, President of the Atlantic Club of Bulgaria Dr Solomon Passy and Executive Director of the European Liberal Forum
Alva Finn, who opened the conference. Mariya Gabriel and the European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Policy, Olivér Várhelyi, gave keynote speeches, and the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, gave a video address.
The event focused on the EU's strategy towards the Balkan region. It is organised by the European Liberal Forum, with the support of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) and the Atlantic Club of Bulgaria, as well as the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
‘The Western Balkans are an integral part of Europe and occupy an important place on the EU's political agenda. Bulgaria has been and will continue to be a reliable partner of the Western Balkans on the path of their integration into the European Union. The complex geopolitical situation and global challenges put European and global security at risk. The importance of the strategic partnership between the EU and the Western Balkans is more evident than ever. Integration and solidarity are the answer to threats to peace and security’, said Mariya Gabriel.
The Deputy Prime Minister stressed the need to continue to adhere to the principle of progress on its own merits, which is at the heart of the enlargement policy process and methodology. ‘It is important to strike a balance between responding to geopolitical risks and fully meeting the necessary conditions’, Gabriel added.
With their conclusions of December 2023, European leaders confirmed the EU's readiness to take the next step in the integration process and formally open negotiations with the Republic of North Macedonia once the country meets its commitment to constitutional change. On 21 March 2024. the European Council took a historic decision for Bosnia and Herzegovina to start accession negotiations. Mariya Gabriel also focused on the progress of the screening process with Albania over the past year and the results achieved in the first months of the new Montenegrin government's mandate. The deputy prime minister also said that achieving full normalisation in relations between Serbia and Kosovo is crucial for the stability of the whole region. Emphasis was also placed on intensifying EU-Turkey relations in areas such as trade, climate, innovation, people-to-people contacts.
‘Bulgaria is working for closer and even stronger connectivity between the Western Balkans and the European Union — from energy, transport and digital to people-to-people connectivity and more opportunities for young people in education and science. It is important to give more visibility to people-to-people projects, successful partnerships and joint initiatives’, Mariya Gabriel concluded.
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