site.btaGlavchev Champions EU Enlargement at Berlin Process Summit, Urges Adherence to Established Procedure

Bulgaria's caretaker Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev expressed strong support for EU enlargement and said the process should follow the shared conditions and the established procedure known to all, the Government press service said here on Monday.

"We have always stood by the position that any EU candidate country must have its own merits for participating in the EU and fulfil all the rights and responsibilities it has agreed to," Glavchev noted.

Regarding bilateral meetings, Glavchev said a proposal had been made to expand negotiations to talks between the candidate country and the entire EU, in order to prevent potential conflicts between two countries. "We have already applied this approach with the Republic of North Macedonia, and it is evident that we are making progress. This was highlighted during the meeting as a successful example of a country negotiating with the entire European Union," he added.

Glavchev said that during the meeting it was revealed that Montenegro is expected to close its negotiating chapters by the end of the year, while Albania is set to begin opening chapters during this period. There was also optimism that Serbia could start opening negotiating chapters at the beginning of 2025.

"Regarding the Green Agenda we participated in, I particularly focused on the crucial role of Corridor No. 8, which connects Italy, Albania, North Macedonia, and Bulgaria, going west to east. Reaching Varna and Burgas, the corridor will also provide access to the north-south axis from Greece to Romania, which has a global dimension. We showcased the importance of this corridor," Glavchev added.

He also addressed the second panel of the forum on the topic Green Agenda, Connectivity, Energy. Glavchev focused on the development of transport corridors, such as the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T), which will reduce trade barriers and improve mobility in the region. He mentioned energy connectivity and investments in energy infrastructure and renewable sources, which are vital for reducing dependence on fossil fuels and aligning with the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans.

The Berlin Process was established in 2014 as a platform to strengthen cooperation between the Western Balkan countries and the host countries of the Berlin Process as well as the EU.

Participants in the process are the countries of the Western Balkans – Albania, Serbia, North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Kosovo, as well as Germany, Austria, France, Italy, Croatia, Slovenia, the UK, Poland, Greece, and Bulgaria.

The EU is complete only with the Western Balkans as part of it, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said at the opening of the meeting.