State Secretary Gabrič at the meeting of the Friends of Western Balkans on accelerating the enlargement process

SLOVENIA, February 10 - “I would like to highlight the important message conveyed by the borderless European Capital of Culture, Nova Gorica and Gorizia. This message embodies the essence of the EU, what it represents and means. The European Capital of Culture fosters cooperation, solidarity and collaboration through culture. It serves as a powerful testament to cooperation in an area that used to be divided and holds particular significance for the Western Balkans,” stated State Secretary Melita Gabrič in her address. 

During the meeting, the officials discussed security challenges and cooperation in the Western Balkans, along with strategies to accelerate the enlargement process. In her speech, the State Secretary underlined that enlargement is crucial for Europe's security in the current geopolitical landscape and stressed the importance of welcoming as many countries from the region as possible into the EU by 2030.

Slovenia supports the gradual integration of Western Balkan countries into the EU's common foreign and security policy. During discussions on regional security, State Secretary Gabrič recalled efforts to enhance cyber resilience in the region, referring to the establishment of the Western Balkans Cyber Capacity Centre in Podgorica, a project supported by Slovenia and France. She also pointed out the demographic challenges in the region, citing UN reports indicating that 21 per cent of the Western Balkans’ population has emigrated in recent decades. Providing development and employment opportunities in their home countries will enable young people from the region to pursue their professional and personal development locally.

State Secretary Gabrič also spoke about the Slovenian-German initiative advocating for the introduction of qualified majority voting in the opening of negotiation chapters to expedite the enlargement process. Slovenia is assisting EU candidate countries with its experience and expertise.

The idea of establishing the “Friends of Western Balkans” informal group was first introduced by Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg in 2023. The group comprises the foreign ministers of Greece, Italy, Croatia, Slovakia, Slovenia and the Czech Republic. Its objective is to offer the Western Balkan countries a realistic opportunity to join the EU and to encourage tangible progress towards full membership.

State Secretary Gabrič attended the meeting in Rome on behalf of the Slovenian Foreign Minister. Among the participants were the foreign ministers of the EU member states that are part of the Friends of Western Balkans group, ministers of the Western Balkan countries, the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, and the EU Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos.