site.btaEU Meets the Balkans Forum Held in Sofia

European Union (EU) politicians and representatives of various organisations and think tanks took part in the EU Meets the Balkans Forum, which was held at Sofia Tech Park on Thursday. 

MEP Ilhan Kyuchyuk opened the forum by saying that the European Union must expand, but at the same time, it must also undergo reform. He emphasized that the EU must be honest with the countries of the Balkans, and questioned whether the Union can continue making promises without setting clear deadlines. He acknowledged that accession to the EU is based on meeting certain criteria, but added that these are achievable when there is political will, expressing hope that such  will would be demonstrated.

Bulgaria is not placing any additional conditions on the process or negotiations of the Republic of North Macedonia on its path toward the EU, Vice President Iliana Iotova said. She emphasized that bilateral relations between the two countries are not the reason for Skopje’s EU accession talks not moving forward. She noted that this argument is often brought forward by "our colleagues from the Republic of North Macedonia as well as by some European politicians and experts, who suggest that the process is being blocked by both sides". 

EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos said that the European Union may well remain the only island of values and democracy in the world. She stressed that “our world has changed fundamentally in the last couple of months” and that for the first time in its history, the EU is holding integration talks with a country - Ukraine - that is at war. “For the first time, for the candidate countries it is not just about fulfilling the conditions to become a member, it is not just about the EU being ready to accept new members. We are confronted with external disruptive forces that want to see us fail,” she noted. 

Montenegro eyes EU membership in 2028 and stresses rule of law as a top priority, said the country’s Minister of European Affairs, Maida Gorcevic. She underscored the topmost importance of the rule of law, because her country knows that it cannot complete the accession negotiations and join the EU without it. She noted that Montenegro is most likely to become a member of the European Union by 2028. Around 80% of Montenegrin citizens support EU membership. 

Skopje has no objection to including Bulgarians in the Constitution but is concerned about its EU accession process being bilateralized, said Deputy Foreign Minister Zoran Dimitrovski. “What we fear is that our EU accession process could become strictly bilateral and dependent on the outcomes of the work of the Joint Commission on Historical and Educational Issues," he said. In his view, that commission could continue its work for decades. Dimitrovski expressed gratitude to Bulgaria for its fraternal assistance following the recent tragedy in Kocani.  

The ambition of Albania and its working plan with the European Commission is to open all negotiation clusters by 2025 and complete the technical negotiations by 2027, said Megi Fino, Deputy Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of Albania.  According to Fino, around 80-90% of the Albanian people support the country’s membership in the European Union.

Bosnia and Herzegovina is set to begin technical negotiations, with hopes of holding the first intergovernmental conference in June this year, the country’s Deputy Foreign Minister Josip Brkic said. He noted that Bulgaria was the first country to recognize Bosnia and Herzegovina's independence. "For all politically interested parties in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the European path  is unanimously regarded as our top foreign policy goal,” he added.

Clara Staicu, State Secretary for European Affairs of Romania, expressed strong support for the European Union's expansion efforts in Sofia Thursday. She emphasized the need to leverage shared regional strengths as an advantage, calling for greater integration and the building of a stronger regional identity. 

Mehmet Bozay, Deputy Foreign Minister of Türkiye, believes that "connectivity" as a key term. Bozay said that the Sofia forum is being held to discuss the very issue of connectivity. He stated that all corridors being created aim for one common goal: ensuring connectivity. 

MEP Jan-Christoph Oetjen, who is also President of the European Liberal Forum President, said that his organization believes in open and united Europe, and this includes the Balkans. Oetjen focused on the word “trust” and “trustful policies”. “If you look at what is happening in the world and how short-term decisions are shaking up the political landscape and bringing us a geopolitical shift, the EU has one strength and this strength is rule of law and that you can trust the procedures and the processes. […]", he said.

Atlantic Club in Bulgaria President Solomon Passy said that the EU's future must be much different than its past so far. He emphasized that ​​more strategic decisions should be discussed at a forum like this, such as whether Canada and Norway can join the EU, whether the UK will return to the EU and whether Iceland will continue the discussion on EU membership, as well as whether Switzerland will join the EU or first join NATO and when Austria will join NATO. He recalled that 34 years ago on today’s Holy Thursday, the Great National Assembly gave birth to the Atlantic Club in Bulgaria, as it was the first to start the discussion on the expansion of NATO and the EU to the east.

Ivan Krastev, Chairman of the Board of the Centre for Liberal Strategies, said that no alternative to EU membership is better for the Western Balkans. He noted that the EU must see the opportunities it is offered by what is happening in the world, and ask itself how it can gain from this situation. How fast it makes its decisions matter a lot nowadays, he added. 

Today, more than ever, cities are not just participants in the enlargement process: they are its driving force, Sofia Mayor Vasil Terziev said. "Sofia is ready to be a bridge between institutions and people, between politics and the reality of everyday life in Balkan cities," Terziev emphasised, stressing that Sofia is not just a capital, but a connecting link, a unifier and a catalyst for European urban dialogue.

The EU Meets the Balkans Forum is organized by The European Liberal Forum, the ALDE Party, and the Atlantic Club of Bulgaria. The event is a well-established platform for strategic dialogue between EU and Balkan leaders, including foreign ministers, policymakers, representatives of leading think tanks, entrepreneurs, media, and youth organizations. Its main goal is to outline a shared path toward enhanced regional cooperation and faster European integration. The forum aims to promote open and equal dialogue between the European Union and its Balkan partners, based on shared values, transparency, and a strong commitment to a common European future.