Speaking at the Western Balkans Summit within the Berlin Process in Sofia, President of Montenegro, Mr Milo Đukanović, told that the Berlin Process plays irreplaceable role in strengthening regional cooperation and connecting the countries of the region with the EU on their path to integration.
According to him, over six years of its existence, the Berlin Process has consistently preserved the basic message – the European perspectives of the WB countries, and added that a stable, economically and democratically developed WB represents a geopolitical imperative.
“Regional cooperation unquestionably brings positive results and accelerates the development of our economies and societies as a whole. It gains the greatest value when it contributes to the realization of our strategic goal – full EU membership. We see the deepening of economic cooperation, through the continuation of the Multi-Annual Action Plan, as a new shift of our economies towards the EU single market. And it’s a great step forward, for which both administrations and the economy have to be ready,” President Đukanović pointed out.
The Economic and Investment Plan for the Western Balkans, he added, is a proof of commitment to the Region and a roadmap for strategic decisions, primarily in the area of sustainable development.
“The economies of the WB countries will recover and develop faster only by increasing investment, encouraging entrepreneurship and removing as many barriers that burden business. Everything else will only intensify the effects of the crisis and lead to a new slowdown,” he noted.
The President also underlines that there is no better guarantee for the long-term preservation of peace than the accelerated social development of all countries in the region.
“The Berlin Process has proved to be the best framework for dynamizing cooperation in order to progress and meet the criteria for full EU integration.”
He emphasizes that Montenegro is resolutely carrying out reforms, building an open European society, i.e. a society of democracy and the rule of law.
“Comprehensive reforms and meeting all criteria for full EU membership remain the top priority,” the President concluded.
