Borut Pahor, former President of the Republic of Slovenia, addressed the media at the "Friends of the Western Balkans" conference, which is being held in Ljubljana. He said he believes that the countries of the Western Balkans will be ready to join the EU before 2030.

“I didn't have the feeling that at the conference there was so much optimism among us that everyone would think that it was possible by 2030. In 2004, that optimism existed and I said so. No one believes that the EU and the countries in the region will be ready by 2030. If we continue like this, the region will not be ready in 2050 either. We all know that time is running out and with all these geopolitical challenges – the war in Ukraine, the conflict in the Middle East,” he said.

“We are responsible for preserving the peace and well-being of the people in that part of Europe. Only the enlargement of the EU is a sustainable guarantee of peace and stability,” said Pahor.

Speaking about the stalled dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, he offered to replace Miroslav Lajcak as the EU's special envoy and stated that the dialogue had stopped due to a lack of trust.

“I decided to get involved in that process, I offer them all the choruses I think I have, I offer them all the references I think I have, to give my plan. We need to find a way to move on, because, without dialogue, nothing can be achieved for either Kosovo or Serbia in the future”, said Pahor.