2018 Western Balkans Summit, London
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The 2018 Western Balkans Summit in London, United Kingdom, was the fifth annual
summit A summit is a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. The topography, topographic terms acme, apex, peak (mountain peak), and zenith are synonymous. The term (mountain top) is generally used ...
within the Berlin Process initiative for
European integration European integration is the process of industrial, economic integration, economic, political, legal, social integration, social, and cultural Regional integration, integration of states wholly or partially in Europe or nearby. European integrat ...
of Western Balkans states. The summit took place on July 9–10. Previous summits took place in Berlin in 2014, Vienna in 2015, Paris in 2016 and Trieste in 2017. Heads of government, foreign ministers and the ministers of economy of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, as well as EU member states from the region Croatia, Slovenia and EU member states such as the United Kingdom, Austria, France, Germany, Italy as well as representatives of the European Union and the
International Financial Institutions An international financial institution (IFI) is a financial institution that has been established (or chartered) by more than one country, and hence is subject to international law. Its owners or shareholders are generally national governments, al ...
attended the summit. By hosting the summit in London, the United Kingdom demonstrated its continued interest and involvement in the stability of the region beyond its imminent exit from the EU.


Proposed agenda

Andrew Page, the Summit's coordinator, stated that the priorities of the summit are to be economic stability, interconnectivity, infrastructure, employment opportunities, and digital transformation. The UK's government stated the three main objectives were increasing economic stability, strengthening regional security co-operation, and facilitating political cooperation.


Issues addressed

According to a press release from the government of the United Kingdom, the summit focused on three areas. The issues primarily discussed included increasing economic stability within the scope of improving the business environment, promoting entrepreneurship, curbing youth unemployment, and promoting regional inter-connectivity. Also on the table was strengthening regional security co-operation to help tackle common threats, including corruption, serious and organised crime, trafficking of people, drugs and firearms, and terrorism and violent extremism. The final topic was facilitating political cooperation to consolidate democracy in the region and resolve disputes from the breakup of Yugoslavia and Kosovo declaration of independence.


2019 Western Balkans Summit

Participants agreed on the Western Balkan's eventual path into the EU and agreed the next Berlin Process Summit would take place in Poland in 2019.


See also

* Berlin Process * Southeast Europe * Stabilisation and Association Process * Central European Free Trade Agreement * Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Western Balkans Summit, 2018 2018 in politics 21st-century diplomatic conferences (Europe) 2018 in international relations 2018 conferences Foreign relations of Croatia Foreign relations of Albania Foreign relations of Bosnia and Herzegovina Foreign relations of Kosovo Foreign relations of North Macedonia Foreign relations of Montenegro Foreign relations of Serbia Foreign relations of Slovenia International relations in Southeastern Europe Contemplated enlargements of the European Union July 2018 events in the United Kingdom Diplomatic conferences in the United Kingdom