State Secretary Ingrid Brocková: The Slovak Republic supports the integration ambitions of the Western Balkan countries into the European Union

State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic, Ingrid Brocková, received today (20 January 2022) a delegation from the Think Balkans project composed of representatives of diplomacy from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Serbia and four representatives of Balkan non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

The main objective of the project is the exchange of experience, establishment of cooperation and communication between the consortium of non-governmental organisations of the Visegrad Group, Think Visegrad and the organisations associated in the Western Balkans region in the Think Balkans project.

At the meeting, State Secretary Ingrid Brocková emphasised the importance of the European Union's enlargement agenda, stressing that the integration process was a key driver of the reforms adopted in the individual countries of the Western Balkans, which aspire to membership of the Union. In this context, she also acknowledged the work of national conventions on the European Union, which allow for effective synergies between governmental institutions and non-governmental organisations and expressed hope that accession negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia will be opened as soon as possible. She was also interested in the support of public opinion for membership: "The integration process of Slovakia was also relatively thorny and complex, but thanks to the great motivation of all stakeholders and strong public support, it was successfully completed. I believe that this story can also be an inspiration for the Western Balkans," said the State Secretary.

The Think Balkans project, founded in 2020, is covered by the Slovak Foreign Policy Association (SFPA) with the financial support of the International Visegrad Fund. Mutual cooperation contributes to connecting the public sector with civil society and also across various countries in the region. Its main focus is to prepare analyses of the most serious problems in individual countries and also to provide recommendations to governments on topical issues with a view to making the negotiation process with the European Union as efficient as possible.