It is clear membership prospects for those countries that will help advance the necessary political, socio-economic and institutional reforms in the region, enable a process of post-war reconciliation, economic recovery, create stability and attract foreign investments.
That's why EU enlargement to the Western Balkans should remain a strategic priority regardless of other challenges, and the process of regional cooperation and alignment with EU standards should continue, according to the statement.
The closed-door meeting was chaired by French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius and Slovenian Foreign Minister Karl Erjavec. They and EU Commissioner for Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Johannes Hahn spoke about the conclusions of the meeting at a joint press conference, saying that the Western Balkans countries were making progress on their EU path.
We must not forget this region regardless of all the challenges, Erjavec said. He thanked all those present for attending and explained that Croatian Foreign Minister Vesna Pusic could not come due to an illness. Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz could not come either.
In addition to issues of importance to the Western Balkans region, the ministers also discussed the situation in Ukraine, agreeing that the Minsk Agreement should be honoured and Ukrainian's sovereignty and inviolability of borders respected. Also discussed was a recent tragedy at sea, off the coast of Libya, involving illegal immigrants from Africa, better prospects for young people, infrastructure construction and connecting countries in Southeast Europe with EU support.
Fabius said that the ministers had exchanged experiences on security issues, stressing the need to strengthen the fight against terrorism and radical movements that posed a global problem. He said that they had also discussed young people in the Balkans and their prospects in the European Union, education and training, energy, and construction of a regional infrastructure network that would link the southeast of Europe with the European Union according to EU standards.
Hahn said that the EU had secured 130 million euros in grants for infrastructure and transport connections between the countries in the region, adding that additional funding could be secured through bank loans.
The good cooperation in the region should be further strengthened, and the region can be best assisted economically by stimulating young people and boosting small and medium enterprises. This, along with the rule of law and legal security, will encourage foreign investment and development and will also help stabilisation and reconciliation, Hahn said.
As regards illegal trafficking in migrants and the transit of recruits for fighting alongside Islamic militants in Syria and Iraq, Hahn said that there was excellent cooperation between the police forces in Southeast Europe in that regard. When asked about the situation in Macedonia, he said that the situation should be defused and the opposition should return to parliament.
Hahn said that the EU and the Western Balkans region were on the right track towards economic recovery, noting that there was a lot of energy potential in the region, especially hydroenergy.
The ministers were welcomed by Slovenian President Borut Pahor, who said that Slovenia's experience showed that problems between states should be addressed before they escalated. He mentioned a border dispute with Croatia, which he said was removed from the political agenda after the two countries agreed to refer it to arbitration. "With the help of the European Union we reached a compromise," Pahor said.