Politics
(Brussels) Stepping up regional cooperation to advance the integration process: this is the main goal of the Western Balkans Summit that will take place tomorrow, 12 July, in Trieste, Italy. It will be “an important occasion – a statement from the European Commission explains – to work together on strengthening concrete opportunities while fostering regional cooperation with the aim of developing inclusive societies, good governance and vibrant economies, hence also further advancing the European Union integration perspective of the region”. The Summit will be attended by Heads of Government, Foreign Ministers, Ministers of Economy and Ministers of Transport of the Western Balkans and their counterparts from 6 EU Member States: Austria, Croatia, France, Germany, Italy, and Slovenia. Representing the European institutions will be the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini; Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, Johannes Hahn; and Commissioner for Transport, Violeta Bulc. “Discussions will focus on three key areas of regional cooperation: connectivity; regional economic integration and private sector development; and people-to-people contacts”.
