Over the past two days, Belgrade hosted the international BELTALKS forum - Belgrade Economic Talks, which brought together more than 100 participants from Europe and the region, including heads of state and government, representatives of EU institutions, parliamentarians, business leaders and international experts.
The forum, organised by GLOBSEC with partner support from the EUpravo Zato initiative and the WMG company, was dedicated to the key political and economic challenges of the Western Balkans and the European Union, with a particular focus on the geopolitical and economic importance of deepening cooperation.
The focus was on the EU’s adaptation to the new geopolitical reality, the strategic importance of economic reforms, and the perspective of the Union’s enlargement towards the Western Balkans.
Particular attention was drawn to the EU Growth Plan for the Western Balkans and the Clean
Industrial Deal, which open up new opportunities for political alignment, investment and the
modernisation of the region’s economies.
Forum partners emphasised that such initiatives enhance mutual understanding and trust between Serbia, the Western Balkans and the EU, encouraging the transformation of business practices, strengthening productivity and increasing regional connectivity.
Among the distinguished participants was Vladimir Bilčík, an expert and senior research fellow at GLOBSEC and former Member of the European Parliament, who in a conversation with our portal highlighted the geopolitical dimension of EU-Western Balkans relations:
“I think the EU must start acting as a geopolitical and geostrategic actor. The Western Balkans today find themselves at a crossroads of major geopolitical changes, and policy towards the region is changing globally, on the part of the United States, but it is evident that Russia currently has a huge role in the region, especially around the issue of NIS. My message is that Europe must be directly engaged, must stand by the region, and I think it must stand by Serbia when it comes to the geopolitical challenges that the region and countries are currently facing. This is a decisive moment for enlargement, and it is truly part of a broader European response to the war we currently have in Europe and to Russian aggression against Ukraine. I think this is the way the EU should begin not only to think, but also to act when it comes to the Union’s enlargement.”
When asked by an EUpravo Zato journalist what message he would send to the citizens of Serbia, a significant percentage of whom have lost faith in the European integration process because it has taken too long, Bilčík said that Serbs are a European people and that our place is in Europe, and that this is the only way forward.
“Serbs are Europeans, Serbia is Europe, and that is the message we are conveying through
BELTALKS, together with numerous European partners. I am pleased that we have brought those European partners to Belgrade. Europe is the only way forward in today’s world and there is no plan B.”
The BELTALKS forum in Belgrade once again demonstrated that the Western Balkans occupy a strategic place in European politics and economics.
The messages conveyed by Vladimir Bilčík clearly point to the need for active EU engagement in the region and support for Serbia in addressing geopolitical challenges.
As countries of the region continue with reforms and move closer to European standards, forums such as this serve as platforms for dialogue, for connecting leaders and experts, and for boosting trust between the Western Balkans and the European Union, a key factor for peace, stability and economic development.
(EUpravo zato)