Today and tomorrow the III is taking place in Ljubljana. the international conference of the Friends of the Western Balkans, which raises questions about the future of the region and the expansion of the European Union in times of severe global conditions. The event brought together 35 speakers from 24 countries, from former presidents to high-ranking European decision-makers.
The conference was opened by the former president of the republic Borut Pahorwho warned that the expansion to the Western Balkans is no longer just a political option, but a geopolitical necessity. According to him, the EU will not be able to carry out its ambitious enlargement without its own renewal.
“The time has come when we must understand the need to change the enlargement strategy as a geopolitical necessity,” he said, stressing that the union must become stronger both internally and externally. At the same time, he pointed out that the Western Balkans will not be stable and developed until it is fully integrated into the European space.
His concrete proposal to hold referendums on EU membership by 2030 in all candidate countries attracted the most attention. In his opinion, this would also require the preparation of the Union itself for enlargement.
The former Croatian president also spoke at the opening Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović and former Serbian president Boris Tadicwho emphasized the importance of stability and a credible European perspective of the region.
The first panel was dedicated to the new security geopolitics and its impact on Europe and enlargement. They were also among the participants Andrzej Duda and Rosen Plevnelievand he led the discussion Bozkır volcano.
The special feature of this year’s conference is a more in-depth approach to each of the six countries of the Western Balkans, as for the first time the organizers separately address their political, security and reform challenges on the way to the EU.
The event started the day before with a reception, which was also attended by the President of the Republic Nataša Pirc Musar.
The conference aims to encourage an open dialogue about the future of the region, but the opening remarks indicate one thing in particular: the issue of EU enlargement is moving more and more from the political debate to the sphere of urgent decisions.
