During a keynote speech yesterday, President von der Leyen reviewed the remarkable turnaround and the progress achieved in EU enlargement policy during her current term as Commission President.
The President was speaking at the Bled Strategic Forum, in Slovenia, which this year carries the title "A world of parallel realities".
President von der Leyen spoke of how further integration gives the EU more leverage and a stronger voice in today's fragmented world. The President said that "a bigger Single Market increases our competitiveness and our leverage as a trading partner. It gives us the tools to respond to blackmail and unfair competition. And it gives us greater common purchasing power. Enlargement is an investment in our collective strength and security."
In the current Commission mandate, there have been significant strides in the EU integration process: accession negotiations were launched with Albania, North Macedonia, Moldova, and Ukraine; and the President expressed her confidence that Bosnia and Herzegovina can be next in line.
Notably, the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, presented by the Commission last year, is already delivering concrete results on the ground. Later this month, the six Western Balkans partners will adopt their Reform Agenda, which contain specific, crucial reforms, linked to €6 billion of European investments. As President von der Leyen highlighted, every reform will unlock new investments.
The President noted that under the Growth Plan, once all reforms are in place, each Western Balkans partner will have received about as much aid per capita as they would under the EU's Cohesion Policy.
The Commission President pointed out that in her new College, she will appoint a dedicated Commissioner for Enlargement, and she finished reminding that tough choices remain ahead: "Bilateral disputes should be dealt with. Integration in the European Union will depend on governments, making difficult and, yes, sometimes unpopular decisions. Postponing decisions means making wrong decisions. But taking decisions, moving forward, means taking the lead, shaping our future, being the masters of our own destiny."
EU solidarity with Slovenia one year on
Earlier in the day, President von der Leyen was in Črna na Koroškem, the town that she visited in August of 2023 amidst devastating floods and landslides. She was accompanied by the Prime Minister of Slovenia, Robert Golob, and the mayor of the town, Romana Lesjak.
The president reiterated that the European Union stands with Slovenia and with the people of Črna na Koroškem. Indeed, she announced that last week the Commission proposed providing €328 million of additional support under the EU Solidarity Fund that will be invested mainly in the repairing and of local infrastructure.
This funding comes on top of the €100 million in pre-financing already delivered last year.
