Slovenia, the Western Balkans and the EU

The future of the Balkans is within the European Union

»The EU reiterates its unequivocal support to the European perspective of the Western Balkan countries.”
(Thessaloniki Declaration, June 2003)

"The European Council reaffirms its full support for the European perspective of the Western Balkans, as set out in the Thessaloniki Agenda and the Salzburg Declaration. … The EU perspective remains essential for the stability, reconciliation and the future of the Western Balkans."
(European Council, June 2008, Presidency Conclusions)

“The Sarajevo Conference was a historic day in which the European Union and the Western Balkans arrived at a new agreement for hope, the future and full integration with EU institutions.”
(The Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Miguel Ángel Moratinos, during the conference in Sarajevo, 2 June 2010)



 

EU financial aid to the candidate countries and to the potential candidates

The legal basis for the focused pre-accession financial aid is Council Regulation 1085/2006, adopted on 17 July 2006. More detailed implementing rules are laid down in Commission Regulation 718/2007 of 12 June 2007. The total pre-accession funding for all candidate countries and potential candidates (Western Balkans and Turkey) for the current financial framework (2007-2013) is € 11.5 billion. This financial assistance is intended to help these countries to introduce the necessary political, economic and institutional reforms in line with EU standards.

The Western Balkans will receive around € 4 billion under the Instrument for pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) in the period 2007-2011. This is the equivalent of € 30 per capita per year, by far the highest amount provided by the European Commission to any region in the world. (Commission Communication on the Western Balkans, COM(2008)127 final, 5.3.2008).

Table: IPA multi-annual indicative financial framework (in million €)

Country	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012
Croatia	141.2	146.0	151.2	154.2	157.2	160.4
Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia	58.5	70.2	81.8	92.3	98.7	105.8
Turkey	497.2	538.7	566.4	653.7	781.9	899.5
Albania	61.0	70.7	81.2	93.3	95.0	96.9
Bosnia & Herzegovina	62.1	74.8	89.1	106.0	108.1	110.2
Montenegro	31.4	32.6	33.3	34.0	34.7	35.4
Serbia	189.7	190.9	194.8	198.7	202.7	206.8
Kosovo (under UNSCR 1244	68.3	124.7	66.1	67.3	68.7	70.0
Multi-Beneficiary Programme	109.0	140.7	160.0	157.7	160.8	164.2

                       

Slovenia's interest is to include the Western Balkans in the European Union as soon as possible

By organising the Conference on the Western Balkans on 20 March 2010 at Brdo near Kranj, Slovenia has taken over a part of the responsibility to strengthen regional cooperation, which would help the countries of the Western Balkans to move closer to joining the EU.

We are connected with the citizens of countries that emerged on the territory of former Yugoslavia by family, friendship, cultural, economic and other ties. Approximately one million Slovenian citizens spend their vacation every year in Croatia only.

The exchange of goods between Slovenia and other countries in the region in 2009 amounted to EUR 5 billion (of which EUR 1.9 billion with Croatia only), which presents more than 10 per cent of total Slovenia's exchange.