The Sarajevo meeting, organised by the Spanish Presidency with the support of the EU, has marked the 10th anniversary of the Zagreb Summit of 25 November 2000, where EU launched the Stabilisation and Association Process and the European perspective for Western Balkans. They were confirmed at the Thessaloniki Summit in 2003, where regular high-level meetings were also launched.

Štefan Füle, Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy said: "The Conference provided a timely confirmation of the perspective of EU membership for the Western Balkans and the continuation of the enlargement process. I welcome the commitment expressed by the Western Balkans to intensify the pace of reforms in key areas and to further strengthen inclusive and efficient regional cooperation. The Commission will support the Western Balkans in these endeavours."

Füle calls for increased regional cooperation

At the summit, Füle called upon the WBC to make much better use of regional cooperation. "Many of the challenges, that the Western Balkans currently face, can only be addressed if there is not just a will - but a collective will to do so. This applies across the board – from the economic and infrastructure development to respect for the rule of law. I am tremendously encouraged by important political signals like reassurances of the importance of regional cooperation at the meetings at the highest political level of the leaders from this region. But unless it is matched by practical and pragmatic cooperation among all regional actors, these messages will have only limited impact."

He announced that the Commission had put forward a legislative proposal to the Council and European Parliament on visa liberalisation for Bosnia and Herzegovina and Albania the week before and that he considered the launch  ofa dialogue with Prishtina aiming at eventual visa liberalisation of outmost importance.

Opinions on the EU membership applications from Montenegro and Albania were also worked on intensely. An opinion on Serbia's membership application would be prepared soon, and the groundwork for accession negotiations with the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia would be prepared as soon as the Council mandates to do so. "Time to act on these issues has come", said Füle. Füle added that Commission was providing substantial financial support to prepare the Western Balkans for eventual accession to the EU and to alleviate the impact of the financial crisis.

Source: RAPID press releases of June 2 and 3, 2010.