EU-Western Balkans Summit: Reaffirming the European perspective of the Western Balkans

On 06 October, EU and Western Balkans leaders will hold a Summit in Brdo pri Kranju, hosted by the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the European Union and chaired by President of the European Council Charles Michel. The Commission will be represented by Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, Josep Borrell, High Representative/Vice-President for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, and Olivér Várhelyi, Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement. The Summit in Brdo is an opportunity to reaffirm the European perspective of the Western Balkans. It will focus on the concrete deliverables of the EU’s engagement in the region through the almost €30 billion Economic and Investment Plan announced by the European Commission last year. In addition, discussions will focus on closer cooperation between the EU and the Western Balkans on their path towards the EU, EU assistance to the region for COVID and post-COVID recovery, regional cooperation, as well as enhancing the regular political dialogue and cooperation on core security issues. The Summit will include a plenary session in the morning attended by representatives from the European Investment Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the World Bank and the Regional Cooperation Council. At the end of the meeting, the leaders are foreseen to adopt a declaration. President Ursula von der Leyen, President Charles Michel, and Janez Janša, Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, will hold a press conference in the afternoon following the Summit. You can follow it live on EbS. More information is available on the website of the EU-Western Balkans Summit and on the Commission’s European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations webpage.