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 topographic terms acme, apex, peak (mountain peak), and zenith are synonymous. The term (mountain top) is generally used only for ...

within the

Berlin Process The Berlin Process is an intergovernmental cooperation initiative linked to the future enlargement of the European Union. History The Berlin Process started with the 2014 Berlin Conference, which was followed by the 2015 Vienna Summit, the ...

initiative for

European integration European integration is the process of political, legal, social, regional and economic integration of states wholly or partially in Europe, or nearby. European integration has primarily but not exclusively come about through the European Union ...

Western Balkans The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...

states. The summit took place on 9–10 July. Previous summits took place in Berlin in 2014, Vienna in 2015, Paris in 2016 and Trieste in 2017.

Heads of government In the executive branch, the head of government is the highest or the second-highest official of a sovereign state, a federated state, or a self-governing colony, autonomous region, or other government who often presides over a cabinet, a ...

, 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 The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

and the

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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.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Western Balkans Summit, 2018 2018 in politics 21st-century diplomatic conferences 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 Enlargement of the European Union July 2018 in the United Kingdom Diplomatic conferences in the United Kingdom

Proposed agenda

Issues addressed

2019 Western Balkans Summit

See also

References