The European perspective of Western Balkans and regional connectivity are priorities of Bulgarian EU Council Presidency.
This was highlighted today by Bulgarian Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina Avgustina Tzvetkova after a meeting held at the EU House in Sarajevo with the EU Member States’ Heads of Missions and COMEUFOR, together with EU Special Representative/Head of EU Delegation Ambassador in BiH Lars-Gunnar Wigemark and BiH Foreign Minister Igor Crnadak, at which she presented the priorities of Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
“Western Balkans countries need to build and maintain sustainable peace, security, reconciliation and good neighbourly relations. One of the goals is to provide connectivity for Western Balkans countries in transport, energy, education and digital connectivity,”Ambassador Tzvetkova said.
Ambassador Wigemark stated that Bosnia and Herzegovina should use the window of opportunity the Bulgarian Presidency provides.
“Bosnia and Herzegovina cannot allow any political leader to hold EU path hostage to short-term political interests. It is also important that BiH continues to progress on the Reform Agenda it has set for itself,” Ambassador Wigemark underlined.
Ambassador Wigemark reminded that the European Commission will publish a strategy on the Western Balkans in February and that an informal summit of leaders on the Western Balkans will be held in May in Sofia, which will be followed up with the Western Balkans Summit taking place in London in July.
Foreign Minister Crnadak welcomed Bulgaria’s decision to set the Western Balkans’ European perspective as one of its main priorities.
Bulgaria took up the six-month Presidency on 1 January. Austria will take over in the second half of 2018.
