On Wednesday, the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, presented an initiative designed to speed up the accession of the states of the Western Balkans region to the European Union.
She announced this during a speech on Wednesday at the Globsec forum in Bratislava.
"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." said von der Leyen.
According to von der Leyen, the growth plan proposed by the European Commission is based on four pillars.
"First, to bring the Western Balkans closer to the EU single market. Second, to deepen regional economic integration. Third, to accelerate fundamental reforms. And fourth, to increase funds for preparation for accession," she said.
To some 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 forward. Our common goal is to speed up their path to the EU. And for this, we are bringing our Union closer to the Western Balkans," the head of the European Commission said.
We will remind you that in her speech in Bratislava, von der Leyen outlined how she sees a just world for Ukraine.
