W Balkans' future is in EU - declaration

BRUSSELS - A declaration due to be adopted at a September 18 EU-Western Balkans summit in Brussels will confirm full and unequivocal commitment to the perspective of EU membership for the Western Balkans and send a message that the region's future is in the EU.

A draft of the declaration, seen by Tanjug, underlines that the EU is a geostrategic investment in peace, security, stability and prosperity and notes that there has been a new dynamics in the enlargement process and substantial progress since the last summit.

Accelerating the accession process based on credible reforms by the partners, on just and rigorous conditions and on the principle of merit is in common interest, the draft declaration says.

It also mentions the EU-facilitated Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, and notes that agreements reached in the dialogue, especially an agreement on the path to normalisation of relations and its implementation annex, must be implemented.

It also notes that reconciliation, inclusive regional cooperation and goodneighbourly relations are at the heart of the EU, and calls for implementation of international agreements and determined further efforts to encourage reconciliation and regional stability, as well as to find and implement final, inclusive and binding solutions to regional and bilateral disputes between partners and to issues rooted in the legacy of the past.