How will Europe deal with challenges future challenges was the focus of a trilateral meeting of the foreign ministers of Croatia, Slovenia and Austria in Ljubljana on Friday.
The ministers are addressing EU enlargement and support for the countries of the Western Balkans on their European path.
Both the Croatian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gordan Grlić Radman, as well as his Austrian and Slovenian colleagues, agree that the integration of Southeast Europe into the European family is important for the stability and security of the region. Bosnia and Herzegovina is still waiting for the EU’s negotiation framework. For that to happen, it must adopt the reform agenda, which still has not happened. Minister Grlić Radman said that there is still a possibility that Bosnia and Herzegovina will receive the much-needed negotiating framework by the end of this year.
“This is a good opportunity to have an honest and constructive conversation and exchange of opinions with my Slovenian colleague and my Austrian colleague about the key challenges and priorities of South-Eastern Europe, as well as the European Union. The enlargement of the European Union remains a strategic goal, and we will devote special importance to the reform momentum of the countries of the Western Balkans with the perspective of Bosnia and Herzegovina towards the European Union,” said Grlić Radman.
“We have to ask ourselves whether we are aware of the challenges facing us, as a united Europe. We are aware that we have much more self-sustainability when it comes to various issues, but we need to be more concentrated on how to strengthen our economy, our Union. I think we are taking all this given to us lightly and we need to talk about it and see how to solve the problems. I believe that we are now at a sort of crossroads,” said Slovenia’s Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon.
“When we talk about the European Union and enlargement, I must emphasize that in this family of ours we need to use the strength of our democracy and the rule of law, and we must be united in this approach. Europe is our border and I am grateful for the security and stability we have here,” said Austria’s Minister for European and International Affairs, Alexander Schallenberg.
Another key topic of the trilateral meeting was migration and the Schengen Area.
Slovenia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Tanja Fajon confirmed at a press conference that in December Slovenia will again extend controls at the border with Croatia for another six months. Minister Grlić Radman, said that the Schengen Area and free movement were the pillars of what constitutes the European Union.