”Our support for the integration of the Western Balkans into the European Union (EU) is very strong, ” said the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen at the press conference after the summit of the leaders of the EU and the Western Balkans.
”Our message is unique. We will work together to solve the problem. We provide unequivocal support to the entire region of the Western Balkans. A very clear message of unity,” noted von der Leyen.
Support shown during the summit
She emphasized that they express their support for the candidate status of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), the support they expressed during the summit.
”We also touched on many topics. An important topic was the consequences of the war in Ukraine, especially in terms of energy. We want to cooperate with our partners in the Western Balkans on this issue. All the measures we introduce in the EU will be transferred to this region,” said Von Der Leyen.
She emphasized that on Monday they adopted a package of one billion euros to solve the energy problems in the Western Balkans.
”Out of that, 500 million euros is in the form of direct budget support for vulnerable households and businesses. The other half of the 500 million will go to building infrastructure in the form of renewable energy, which is cleaner, healthier and can be produced at home,” told Von der Leyen.
EU visa regulations
She reminded that on Monday they approved six large energy projects for renewable energy sources. She also noted that the EU supports regional integration, in addition to the EU integration of the Western Balkans.
”The last thing we discussed was migration. We promised to support better border controls and asylum processes. We expect our partners in the Western Balkans to quickly comply with EU visa regulations,” concluded the president of the European Commission, Avaz reports.
E.Dz.