At the special discussion yesterday in Thessaloniki, which was attended by Deputy Prime Minister Dimitrov together with high officials from both the region and the EU, the contribution of the Western Balkans to the Conference on the Future of Europe was discussed.

Deputy Prime Minister Dimitrov emphasized that the accession process is the best tool for Europeanization of the region, because the citizens of the Balkans associate the word “European” with certain values ​​to which our societies aspire.

Dimitrov: “In addition to its internal market, the European Union is recognizable by its shared values ​​that create normative and transformative power - the European narrative that Europe leads by example. The involvement of the citizens of the region will contribute to the reinforcement of these values through discussion of issues such as digitization and environmental protection, which are topical in this region and bring about specific changes. “We have a high level of foreign policy compliance, which naturally means that these countries should be involved in the making of such policies if they are expected to implement them.”

At the press conference following the debate, Dimitrov pointed out that it was necessary to restore the credibility of the promise for a European future of the Balkans, given precisely in Thessaloniki 18 years ago.

“We need to be part of the shared European house; one room cannot be excluded from the system because the whole house will suffer. We have been debating this for a long time, we have worked hard, we deserve for our progress to be recognized and serve as an inspiration to many others and I think it will be a good step to restore the credibility of the Thessaloniki promise. We will do it together with Greece and the region,” Dimitrov concluded.