Mogherini: We Have a Single Approach for the Western Balkans Strategy

Our teams worked hard for this important meeting of the foreign ministers. The fact that it is informal does not mean it is less important, Federica Mogherini, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy said at the press conference after the informal meeting of EU Ministers of Foreign Affairs (Gymnich) on 16^th of February. We have come to an agreement, we have come up with opportunities to exchange ideas in a straightforward way by thinking about the future in particular, she added.

Today we have traditionally exchanged ideas with the candidate countries, focusing on cooperation in the security and defence spheres. It was very fruitful that we exchanged views, in particular on the common efforts we are making to overcome the challenges we face in the security sphere - fighting radicalization, exchanging information on returning foreign fighters, information on European missions that take place in this part of the world, she said.

The EU's efforts in the area of security are an important element of our joint action, Mogherini explained. Something that the candidate countries need to be aware of because they are preparing to join us, she added.

The most important was the discussion on the Western Balkans - this is also one of the main priorities of the Bulgarian Presidency, a priority that we share too, Mogherini said. She explained that the meeting was the first opportunity for member states’ ministers to discuss the strategy for the Western Balkans, which was presented last week in Strasbourg.

The debate has been very positive, I see that everyone is united towards the common goal of supporting the efforts we have made jointly with the Bulgarian Presidency to ensure the prospect of a common future within the EU for our partners in the region.

Answering a question by BNT whether by the end of the Bulgarian presidency we can expect a date for the start of the negotiations for some of the Western Balkan countries, Mogerini said that there is a unified approach on the part of the ministers for the good acceptance, evaluation of the Strategy and all the elements contained in it. Of course during the Bulgarian presidency we have the opportunity to work and make progress as regards the whole region. Something I want to emphasize - the strategy applies to the entire region. It does not create different categories, different expectations among the regional partners that we have in the Western Balkans. And even this horizon, which was mentioned by Minister Zacharieva - 2025, is a realistic, possible prospect. This is not an objective. Not only for the two countries currently under negotiation but for other countries that can begin to negotiate. And my personal wish is that this happens from now until June and this is a position that the Commission has. But that is the framework we are currently working on. We know there is a rapprochement in our work here.

During the meeting, ministers also held a debate on Syria. EU continues to pay close attention to the conflict and its key elements, which will be the focus of our next conference together with the United Nations, explained Mogerini and added that a second conference dedicated to Syria will be held in Brussels.