On April 11th, 2018, Ambassador Tihomir Stoytchev participated in a roundtable discussion titled “The Next Steps towards Transatlantic Cooperation in the Western Balkans.” Other participants included Matthew Palmer, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, and Stefan Lehne, former director general for political affairs at the Austrian Ministry for European and International Affairs and former director for the Balkans, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia at the General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union.
The event was organized by the Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, DC. Attendees included ambassadors and diplomats representing Southeastern Europe and the European Union, the Delegation of the EU, U.S. Congress, the National Security Council and the Department of State, as well as a number of leading Think-Tanks and Non-Governmental Organizations.
The main purpose of the event was to outline the European perspective for Western Balkans and the necessity of supporting their ambitions of Euro-Atlantic integration. The discussion highlighted that although the region continues to face some serious challenges, it also holds many opportunities that should be taken advantage of.
The role of the EU Strategy for the Western Balkans, which presents a realistic overview of opportunities for European integration, was also highlighted. It sets 2025 as a possible time limit for the accession of new countries and provides for an increase in pre-accession financial assistance from the EU to encourage the reform process.
Bulgaria’s ambition is to create the necessary preconditions that will enhance regional connectivity between the states, as well as between the region and the rest of Europe. It is expected that the forthcoming EU-Western Balkans Summit in Sofia, Bulgaria, will show a positive outlook and reaffirm the European perspective for the countries in the region. The European Project will not be accomplished until all the countries in the region become a part of the EU.
