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Connectivity among the Western Balkan countries will be the main topic of the EU-Western Balkans summit in Sofia on May 17, according to the Montenegrin government’s platform, which BIRN has seen.

Montenegrin Prime Minister Dusko Markovic will be one of the leaders of the six Western Balkans countries – Albania, Bosnia, Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia and Kosovo – who will discuss the region’s European perspective with the heads of state or government of EU member states.

According to the Montenegrin official platform, the summit, hosted by Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, will debate regional infrastructure projects, trade agreements and security and migration challenges.

“The summit in Sofia is the first EU-WB summit following the historic summit in Thessaloniki, Greece, on the European future of the Western Balkans. The main goal … is to bring new energy into the relationship between the European Union and the countries of this region,” the Montenegrin document noted.

Balkan countries are expected to approve two additional protocols to the Central European Free Trade Agreement, CEFTA, the main trade agreement between the EU and the Balkans.

Protocols 5 and 6 relate to trade in goods and trade in services, designed to eliminate tariffs and barriers to trade between the EU and the region.

According to the official agenda of the summit, the aim of the meeting in Sofia is to reaffirm the EU’s commitment to the Western Balkans, strengthen links between the EU and the region in infrastructure, digital and human connectivity, and work more closely together to tackle common challenges, such as security, migration, geopolitical developments and good neighbourly relations.

In preparation to the summit, from April 24 to 27, the President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, travelled to Tirana, Podgorica, Belgrade, Pristina, Sarajevo and Skopje; his visit was widely put in the context of stalled Kosovo-Serbia talks.

Since early April, Bulgaria’s Borissov has made several journeys that appeared also to be aimed at ensuring both Serbia and Kosovo participated at the summit; Serbia refuses to recognise Kosovo as a state.

The visits to the region also came after some EU countries, including Spain, that do not recognise Kosovo’s independence, indicated they may also not attend the meeting in Sofia.

On April 23, BIRN reported that EU member states will refer to Western Balkan nations as “partners” and not as “states” in the text adopted at the end of the summit.

This compromise wording was designed to ensure all 34 invitees attended the summit, which is seen as the highlight of Bulgaria’s stint at the helm of the EU in the first half of 2018.

Read more:

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