The EU-Western Balkans Summit was once again organised in Brussels this year with the aim of serving as a platform to strengthen the strategic partnership between the EU and the Western Balkans, as well as to enhance cooperation and accelerate reform processes on the path to EU membership.
The summit was chaired by the President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, while the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, was present as a representative of European institutions.
The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, also attended the summit and stated in a media address that he expected an open and productive discussion.
"I expect us to have a good, open discussion. I believe we will finalise everything in January or February regarding the Single Euro Payments Area, which is significant both for our companies and for our people living abroad so they can transfer money to their parents and children without additional costs. At the same time, companies will spend much less money, and operational costs will be lower. I expect them to open the cluster by the end of January or the beginning of February. It’s good that we can respond to the falsehoods that some will certainly say about Serbia," said the President.
"We can expect the first tranche of Growth Plan funds by the end of the year, with the second part of the payment coming in January. We must continue working on green corridors," the Serbian President added after the meeting.
At the end of the summit, a joint Brussels Declaration was adopted, reaffirming the determination of the EU and the Western Balkans to work together on deepening cooperation and accelerating integration processes, sending a strong signal of their commitment to a shared future in the European Union.