Von der Leyen: EU to speed up accession of Western Balkans countries
On Wednesday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen presented an initiative aimed at speeding up the accession of the Western Balkan states to the European Union.
She announced this during a speech on Wednesday at the Globsec forum in Bratislava, reports Evropeiska Pravda.
"Today I want to present a new initiative to take advantage of this important moment in the region. This is a new growth plan for the Western Balkans. We want to build on the progress made in recent months. But we also want to bring some of the benefits of EU membership to the people of the Western Balkans today," von der Leyen said.
The growth plan proposed by the European Commission, according to von der Leyen, is based on four pillars.
"First, bringing the Western Balkans closer to the EU single market. Second, deepening regional economic integration. Third, accelerates fundamental reforms. And fourth, increasing the funds for accession preparation," she said.
To a certain extent, this is a new approach for the European Union, von der Leyen emphasized.
"We are not only asking our partners to take new steps towards us. We are also taking a big step towards them. Our common goal is to speed up their path to the EU. And to do this, we are bringing our Union closer to the Western Balkans," the European Commission President said.
Author - Olena Madiak, 31/05/2023
