Skopje, 15 September 2021 (MIA) – The enlargement policy with the Western Balkans is of exceptional importance in addressing issues that concern the future of Europe, Deputy PM for European Affairs Nikola Dimitrov told event “The Western Balkans joins the dialogue on the future of Europe”, organized by the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs at part of the Conference on the Future of Europe. “It was here in Thessaloniki 18 years ago that the European Union gave its promise for the European future of the Western Balkans as an expression of the geopolitical commitment to Europe’s completion. Not delivering on this promise has serious consequences on the trust from regional countries and citizens, and it is truly difficult to maintain the European narrative. North Macedonia’s Euro-integration process is a drastic case, the fact that the EU is still not able to implement last year’s decision for the start of the accession talks speaks volumes of the challenges and problems that the Union is faced with,” said Deputy PM Dimitrov. In this context, he said participation in the Conference on the Future of Europe brings enormous benefits for all parties in the process, as an opportunity to renew mutual trust and unification on priority issues. “We are facing various challenges of a global nature and whose management requires a common response. The Western Balkans’ connection with the EU is not only geographic. This region is especially important for Europe’s stability and therefore the region’s accession cannot be treated as a separate matter. We really need a concrete step forward, irrespective of all given promises and words in various strategies and statements. Europe’s future belongs to the young people and it is our task to do this as soon as possible because a lot of time has been lost,” noted Dimitrov. The event, organized by Greek Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs for European Affairs Miltiadis Varvitsiotis was also attended by the regional ministers of European and foreign affairs, Slovenian State Secretary of Foreign Affairs Gašper Dovžan, whose country holds the presidency of the Council of the EU, and Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi.