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Strong EU support for a West Balkans European perspective

Government Communications Department
Publication date 17.5.2018 15.19 | Published in English on 17.5.2018 at 20.24
Press release 258/2018

The EU Heads of State or Government and leaders from the Western Balkan countries discussed the development of relations and security at a summit held in Sofia, Bulgaria on Thursday 17 May.

The declaration by the EU countries at the end of the summit stated the commitment of the West Balkan countries to European values and confirmed the EU’s support to the European future of the West Balkans. The enlargement of the EU was not among the topics of the summit.

“The EU is the best partner for the West Balkan countries even before their accession. We can provide access to the single market of the EU, support reforms, and offer other types of collaboration”, Prime Minister Juha Sipilä said.

The aim of the summit was to strengthen concrete cooperation between the EU and West Balkans and, through this, bring prosperity and progress to the region.

“Developing different types of contacts between our regions creates new opportunities for both companies and private citizens. Digital connections, in particular, are a high priority in the EU. It is important to keep the West Balkan countries involved”, Prime Minister Sipilä said.

The leaders also talked about the security situation in the region. Finland has stressed the importance of improving the resilience to hybrid threats in the West Balkan countries as well. Recognising hybrid influence is the first step towards combatting it. Awareness raising on these issues is a high priority - and this is the key task of the European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats open to EU Member States and NATO allies in Helsinki, Finland.

Declaration of the summit at European Council website

Inquiries: Kare Halonen, State Secretary for EU Affairs, tel. +358 295 160 319, Riikka Pakarinen, Special Adviser (EU Affairs), tel. +358 40 580 0833 and Anne Sjöholm, Head of Communications for EU Affairs, tel. +358 40 537 0733, Prime Minister’s Office

 
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