Membership in the European Union (EU), despite the current challenges the EU is facing, remains the best initiator of reforms that lead to sustainable progress, and a guarantor of the stability of the Western Balkans, it was said at the Bled Strategic Forum.
The chief negotiator of Montenegro with the EU, Aleksandar Andrija Pejović, at the panel "Western Balkans: Is the EU still an incentive factor?", which was held today as part of the Forum, pointed out that membership in the EU is a chance for the countries of the region to overcome conflicts from of the past, strengthen good-neighborly cooperation and ensure the growth and development of that part of Europe through joint efforts.
"The EU accession process remains the most important factor in maintaining peace and stability and an effective mechanism for the continuation of reforms that will bring the countries of the Western Balkans closer to the most developed countries in Europe," said Pejović, as announced by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration (MVPEI).
Pejović said that the significant expert and financial support of the EU and member states, which is available to Montenegro, enables faster, better and more efficient adoption of European standards and improves the quality of life in the countries of the region.
"For the countries of the Western Balkans, there is no alternative to membership in the EU," said Pejović.
He pointed to the significant framework that the EU provides through the Berlin process, which encourages and helps the European perspective of that part of Europe.
Pejović emphasized that this initiative has already made a significant contribution to the infrastructural connection of the region within itself and with the EU, making the Western Balkans an economically stronger and safer part of the European continent.
The foreign ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Hungary, Macedonia and Serbia - Igor Crnadak, Enver Hodžaj, Peter Sijarto, Nikola Poposki and Ivica Dačić, as well as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau for European and Eurasian Affairs of the State spoke in the panel. Department Hoyt B. Ji.
As stated in the MVPEI announcement, the panel participants emphasized that the enlargement process, during the previous years, proved to be one of the most successful EU policies and that each new member gave new strength and quality to the EU family.
The participants emphasized that, despite the increasing demands of the accession process, as well as the challenges faced in recent years, EU membership remains a strong factor of attraction and incentive for the implementation of reforms, sustainable progress and stability.
This year's Forum, which was an opportunity for a series of bilateral meetings of the Montenegrin delegation, was held under the title "Securing the Future" and gathered around 700 participants, high-ranking officials, representatives of the state administration, diplomatic and consular representatives, as well as representatives of the European Commission, the European Parliament, international organizations, renowned scientific institutes and private and public companies.
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