Keynote speech by RCC SG at the “Advancing EU enlargement: Italy’s role and strategic convergence on the Western Balkans’ integration” conference

15 April 2025 | SPEECH

RCC Secretary General Amer Kapetanovic gave keynote speech on challenges ahead of the enlargement at the conference dubbed “Advancing EU enlargement: Italy’s role and strategic convergence on the Western Balkans’ integration” held in Rome on 15 April 2025.

Among other things, Kapetanovic said: "“In times when the very idea of a united Europe is tested, the Western Balkans offers a rare commodity as a living proof of how far we can go thanks to EU enlargement soft-power magnetism.
But Western Balkans cannot afford to be in Europe's waiting room. We must become a functional extension of the European Single Market. That is what Common Regional Market is all about. But the more we wait, the greater are the chances to turn this soft power in to a hard disappointment. This is a moment to see Western Balkans not as a region of problems, but as a region of partners. A region that is ready, able, and willing to contribute to Europe’s resilience, security, and prosperity.”

The conference was organized by Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Italy, Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso Transeuropa and Istituto Affari Internazionali.

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