News archive - Mogherini concludes her Western Balkans visit in Serbia after visiting Tirana, Skopje and Podgorica

Concluding her Western Balkans visit on 19 April in Serbia – after visiting Tirana, Skopje and Podgorica – Federica Mogherini sent a message reaffirming the real and tangible EU perspective of the entire region.

Federica Mogherini concluded her Western Balkans trip saying that she was "impressed by the energy, the commitment, the ambitions and the willingness everywhere, including obviously here in Belgrade, to move forward on the reform path towards European Union membership". She further sent a message reaffirming the "credible, real and tangible" EU perspective of the entire region.

The High Representative's visit to Albania was the first stop on her trip through the Western Balkans. The High Representative further emphasised the positive role that Albania has played and is continuing to play in the region, including work on good cooperation and good relations with its neighbours. "In the Western Balkans the enlargement policy of the EU goes back to the DNA of the European integration project, which is reconciliation and peace. Good neighbourly relations, coordination and cooperation within the region is an essential element of the reasons why we joined together in the Union." Highlighting the main findings of the Commission 2018 Report on Montenegro, Mogherini welcomed the encouraging progress achieved while looking forward to progress in areas such as rule of law and media freedom. Following the Commission recommendation for the Council to open accession negotiations with the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, EU High Representative Federica Mogherini in Skopje recognised this as an achievement for all the institutions in the country, the civil society and the citizens. She invited both government and opposition to ‘join forces for the coming steps to be taken’. She also confirmed, as stated in the 2018 report on Serbia, that the country is advancing well on its European Union integration path and highlighted the scope of the current EU - Serbia cooperation in different fields.

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Entry created by Admin WBC-RTI.info on April 21, 2018
Modified on May 9, 2018