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A group of EU countries, known as the “Friends of the Western Balkans”, advocates for increased cooperation between the European Union and the Western Balkan states in the field of foreign policy. Led by Austria, the coalition includes Croatia, the Czech Republic, Greece, Italy, Slovakia and Slovenia, all of whom are pushing for representatives from the Western Balkans to hold more regular meetings with their counterparts in the EU.
The initiative, outlined in an unofficial document seen by Euractiv, calls on European institutions to establish a clear agenda for accelerated integration with definitive steps until 2024 and beyond. The document was distributed in preparation for a joint ministerial meeting in Brussels with the six Western Balkan countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia.
Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg, who launched the “Friends of the Western Balkans” group, is a strong advocate of EU enlargement. The document he initiated highlights the need for enhanced cooperation to effectively counter external pressures and harmful rhetoric from countries like Russia that are incompatible with EU values.
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