The leaders of the Western Balkans demonstrated their commitment to achieving a stable, secure and prosperous region at the Berlin Process Western Balkans Summit in Poznań, the Polish government said in conclusions published on the Polish Foreign Ministry web site.
The full text of the conclusions can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.pl/web/diplomacy/western-balkans-summit-poznan-chairs-conclusions
“The Leaders agreed that the Berlin Process demonstrates their commitment to achieve a stable, secure and prosperous Western Balkans region. The Western Balkans are part of Europe: sharing the common values, the same history, the same geography, the same cultural heritage and a future defined by common opportunities and challenges. The Leaders unanimously reaffirmed their unequivocal support for the European perspective of the Western Balkans,”the conclusions said.
It added that they also reconfirmed their commitment to strengthening the rule of law, fundamental rights and good governance in the region and agreed on the importance of regional cooperation, good neighbor relations and reconciliation, which are essential for the region to progress on its European path. They also committed to overcoming current difficulties in the region in order to achieve substantial progress in areas such as regional economic integration and connectivity for the benefit of the citizens and economic operators.
The summit participants “recognized the importance of regional cooperation, and reaffirmed their strong commitment to the Regional Economic Area, implementation of reforms and strengthening economic ties among Western Balkans economies and accelerating their convergence with the EU” but noted that the labor market situation remains challenging, with a slow pace of job creation and high unemployment rates, in particular among young people, women, and marginalised groups. They agreed that an educational policy which responds to the demands of inclusive economies in the region remains an important priority, as does cooperation between vocational education and training and the private sector.
“The youth of the region needs to be better equipped with a wide range of skills, from basic skills to entrepreneurship and soft skills,” they said and expressed concern over the lack of opportunities for young people.
They reaffirmed their commitment to support private sector development using instruments ranging from facilitating access to finance to improving entrepreneurial capacity and welcomed the results of the Business Forum that accompanied the Summit. “The economic development of the Western Balkans, facilitated by the regional integration initiatives and the Connectivity agenda, rests, ultimately, on the shoulders of the business community,” they said.
The Western Balkans Leaders reaffirmed the essential role of civil society in building the participatory democracies that the region is striving towards.
The participants recognized the range of shared security threats experienced within the Western Balkans and wider Europe, particularly the exploitation of migratory and vulnerable populations for organized crime or terrorist purposes and the importance of closer cooperation between the Western Balkans and the EU in combating drug trafficking.
The Western Balkans Leaders reconfirmed the joint commitment to step up efforts to prevent and tackle corruption and to improve the overall rule of law. The fight against corruption remains a priority for the region, which is also reflected in the EU’s fundamentals first approach.
