Talks in Thessaloniki on European prospects of Western Balkans

8 May 2014

 Talks in Thessaloniki on European prospects of Western Balkans

“We should focus on concrete outcomes of accession negotiations, which are felt by all citizens of candidate states, such as democratisation, the rule of law and respecting human rights, better governance, and a more efficient market economy,” said Henryka Mościcka-Dendys, Undersecretary of State at the MFA, who on May 8th took part in the EU-Western Balkans Ministerial Conference organised in Thessaloniki.
The meeting of foreign ministers from the European Union and the Western Balkans centred around the EU enlargement policy. The ministers discussed enlargement achievements to date and challenges facing the EU candidates. Particular attention was devoted to ways of developing energy and transport co-operation between the European Union and the Western Balkans region.

In her address, Deputy Minister Mościcka-Dendys emphasised that the enlargement policy’s biggest success in the past decade has been the acceptance of 13 new countries as EU members. Deputy chief of the MFA underlined that reforms co-financed by the European Union and implemented during accession negotiations contribute to improving living standards in countries that aspire to EU membership. She also drew attention to the necessity of continued co-ordination of foreign policy between the candidates and the European Union.

This year’s ministerial conference was a reference to the Thessaloniki EU summit in 2003, when heads of governments of the EU member states confirmed the European prospects of the Balkan countries.