Pahor at 2BS Forum in Budva: Enlargement of the Western Balkans is a geopolitical necessity

Kot ustanovitelj in direktor se Borut Pahor udeležuje letošnjega foruma To Be Secure (2BS) v Budvi v Črni gori, ki velja za najpomembnejšo politično-varnostno konferenco v regiji.

V svojem nastopu je poudaril, da je ruska agresija na Ukrajino temeljito spremenila miselnost v Bruslju glede širitve EU na Zahodni Balkan. Opozoril je, da je že pred vojno svoje kolege v regiji spodbujal, naj ne podcenjujejo te spremembe v pristopu Bruslja, saj gre za resnično preobrazbo in priložnost za napredek. Izpostavil je, da status quo na Zahodnem Balkanu ni dovolj za trajni mir, varnost in razvoj, temveč regijo pušča v stanju nedokončanega procesa – še posebej v kontekstu širitve EU. Kljub temu je pozdravil dejstvo, da so tri od šestih držav Zahodnega Balkana že članice Nata. Pahor je izrazil upanje, da se bo povečana politična volja Bruslja za širitev, ki jo je sprožila vojna v Ukrajini, odražala tudi v konkretnih dejanjih nove Evropske komisije. Zavzel se je za dvojni pristop k širitvi EU – ki bi združeval močno geopolitično perspektivo s strogim spoštovanjem pristopnih kriterijev.

As the founder and director of Friends of the Western Balkans, Borut Pahor is attending this year’s To Be Secure (2BS) Forum in Budva, Montenegro—the region’s most significant political and security conference.

In his address, Pahor emphasized that Russia’s aggression against Ukraine has fundamentally changed the mindset in Brussels regarding EU enlargement in the Western Balkans. He noted that before the war, he had urged his colleagues in the region not to underestimate this shift in Brussels’ approach, as it represents a real change and an opportunity to move forward. He stressed that maintaining the status quo in the Western Balkans is not sufficient for lasting peace, security, and progress. Instead, it leaves the region in a state of unfinished business—particularly regarding EU enlargement. However, he welcomed the fact that three of the six Western Balkan countries are already NATO members. Pahor expressed hope that the European Commission’s increased political will for enlargement, spurred by the war in Ukraine, will translate into concrete actions under its new leadership. He advocated for a dual-track approach to EU enlargement—combining a strong geopolitical perspective with strict adherence to accession criteria.