German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Monday that he hopes that the countries of the Western Balkans will continue their progress towards membership in the European Union, which hosted leaders from the region at a summit in the German capital Berlin, reports dpa.
“I hope that it will not take another ten years before all the countries of that region become members of the EU,” said Scholz, referring to Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Albania.
The German chancellor said this in the presence of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at a press conference on the sidelines of the meeting, where the leaders signed an action plan on the common market in the region as well as an agreement on new mobility in access to higher education.
The summit, known as the Berlin Process, held every year since 2014, drew praise from Scholz for achievements such as road agreements, reducing roaming costs, student exchanges and partnerships to promote renewable energy.
