Slovenia will continue supporting Bosnia, and the region on their path to EU membership, Slovenian President Borut Pahor said Wednesday, at the Sarajevo Business Forum (SBF) 2019, adding that the European Commission must make EU's enlargement a priority if it wants to prevent further destabilisation of the region.

“When it comes to the Western Balkans, the EU's enlargement policy must be more flexible in the next couple of years. This doesn't mean that standards should be lowered, but that procedure should be eased up,” Parod told the SBF participants.

It is now up to the Western Balkan countries to speed up the reform processes and not to expect the EU to do it for them.
“My country will continue to be the friend of the Western Balkan countries in the best possible way,” he noted.

However, he admitted that EU member states do not have a consensus regarding the region, but pointed out those sceptical of the region's accelerated integration should not stop facing arguments against their policy.

He argued that after the EU Parliament's May election and the Union's post-election consolidation, the new European Commission would focus on the enlargement to the Western Balkans because countries like Ukraine will not be an option in the foreseeable future.

Therefore, he will propose a joint declaration inviting the European Commission to adopt a more flexible enlargement policy, at the next Brdo-Brioni summit in Tirana, making this approach an important political topic guaranteeing some security for south-east Europe.

“If the enlargement gets postponed, it will threaten the entire process and regional security,” Paroh noted, adding that it is up to Western Balkan countries to speed up the reforms, not waiting for the EU.