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I am very happy to be here, with my colleagues from NATO countries, in this session to talk about the Western Balkans.  

You know how important is the Western Balkans for the European Union. Many members of the European Union are engaged on this region and some states of the Western Balkans are candidates to the European Union. So, their stability, their prosperity and their alignment with our foreign policy is of vital importance for us.  

Allow me to stress the importance of the cooperation between the European Union and NATO in Kosovo and the north of Kosovo. Our EULEX [Kosovo] mission is being deployed in strong cooperation with KFOR as we have been facing difficult moments, troubled times. And we will continue ensuring the stability and security of this part of Kosovo, on the border with Serbia. 

EULEX plays an important role for that. It has been doing that for years and it will continue doing [so]. But we call on Serbia and Kosovo to increase their will to look for agreements in order to clear their European path.  

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the European Union has also deployed a mission – EUFOR ALTHEA – which is our flagship of our missions in the Western Balkans. It is a long lasting mission, and its mandate has been renewed recently, which is a clear proof of the importance that the international community gives to our ALTHEA mission. We have to ask the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina to avoid any kind of divisive attitude, to join forces in order to take advantage of this geopolitical moment, in which enlargement is becoming a key issue for the future of the European Union and for the future of the Western Balkan countries. 

So, it is good that the European Union increased our cooperation, with NATO everywhere and in particular in these two places, with our EULEX and our ALTHEA mission.  

Thank you. 

Link to video (starting at 00:40): https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/en/video/I-249774