Visegrad Four promise help to western Balkans in joining EU

Lajcak said that enlargement remains one of the EU’s priorities at a meeting between several European foreign ministers and designated High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini in Bratislava on Friday.

The session was attended by ministers from the V4, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Macedonia, Serbia, Kosovo and Austria.

“Our partners have confirmed their determination to continue in this process, which is irreversible and has no alternative. Only European prospects make sense for countries of the Western Balkans,” said Lajcak at a press conference.

The V4 ministers praised the agreement on setting up a fund for the Western Balkans, modeled on the International Visegrad Fund.

This new fund will be based in Tirana, Albania. The V4 itself is ready to contribute more than 80,000 euros (100,340 U. S. dollars) precisely towards launching the fund.

Lajcak noted that the V4 has already provided 700,000 euros (877,960 U. S. dollars) to countries of the Western Balkans this year in the form of grants.