European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday that the European Union is not complete without the countries of the Western Balkans.

She told a news conference after the EU-Western Balkans summit in Slovenia that the message from the European Commission is clear – the Western Balkans region is part of Europe just like the European Union with a shared history and values. She said that the Commission will continue working towards the integration of the region.

She added that Economic Investment Plan is at the center of EU activities with the region, adding that the support can be raised from the current nine billion Euro to 30 billion.

Von der Leyen said that she feels the frustrations of ordinary people because of the duration of the EU accession process.

According to her, the Western Balkan countries are implementing important reforms and clearly achieving a lot of progress. She said the EU also has to do its part of the job.