The Delegated Vice-President of the European Commission for Values & Transparency, Věra Jourová, congratulated all the countries, including those that are candidates for EU membership, that are part of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC).

In the joint press conference with the President of the EESC, Oliver Röpke, Prime Minister Edi Rama, and the Prime Minister of Montenegro, Milojko Spajic, held today in Brussels, Jurova emphasized the importance of cooperation with the candidate countries for EU membership in these moments.

“Brussels must be open and invite as many actors as possible from the enlargement countries because this is the best way for integration. The new growth plan for the countries of the Western Balkans that we launched 3 months ago is evidence of this very mindset. We want the enlargement countries to grow, while being as close as possible to the EU,” she declared.

“Together we will succeed and we will make the EU bigger and more strategic,” she added.

Asked by journalists about the membership of the countries in the region in the EU, she highlighted, “We have 27 member countries that will have to say yes, we agree that the countries of the Western Balkans become part of the EU. Therefore, we must look at how each country has progressed with the rule of law, the fight against corruption. Therefore, the part of the rule of law that will be part of the monitoring of the four countries of the Western Balkans in July of this year is very important,” declared the vice-president of the EC.

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