Borrel Expects Western Balkan Leaders to Explain Political Developments in the Region

Peter Stano (Photo: YouTube)

High Representative of the European Union Josep Borrell expects Western Balkan leaders to use a May 18 dinner in Brussels to share their view of the political situation and development in the region, a spokesperson for the European Commission, Peter Stano, said on May 17.

Speaking at a briefing at the Commission, he was answering a question by the BETA correspondent what Borrell expected from the region's leaders and what was his message to them, having in mind that the EU high representative had warned EU foreign ministers the week before that the situation in the Western Balkans posed "a serious geopolitical problem."

The fact that the meeting was taking place was also important, because Borrell reacted to a lack of such meetings between EU senior officials and Western Balkan leaders, Stano added. According to the EC spokesman, "it's a logical follow up to last week's debate about the region by EU foreign ministers, who had taken a broader strategic and political view on the Western Balkans, not only enlargement."

"The reason and purpose of the meeting is to hear from the Western Balkan leaders how they see the political situation and the state of things in the region," Borrell's press officer said.