The meeting ended a process of consultations leading to the Western Balkans Summit - Poznan 2019 which is due to start next week. During the meeting, the Government’s Plenipotentiary for the Summit and Secretary of State at the MFA, Szymon Szynkowski vel Sęk expressed his hope that the summit will give a new, positive impetus to European aspirations of our Western Balkan partners. The foreign minister also stressed that Poland invariably supports the region’s European aspirations and hopes to see tangible effects of the Poznan Summit. “We would like to share with you our experiences from the transformation period and from the European Union accession process,” said Deputy Minister Szynkowski vel Sęk. He went on to say that Poland joined the Berlin Process guided by a desire to bring added value to the format due to its systemic and economic reforms which paved the way to our EU membership.

 During the Polish presidency of the Berlin Process and at the Western Balkans Summit - Poznan 2019, the spotlight is put on supporting civic society. On the sidelines of the meetings of heads of government and ministers of foreign affairs, internal affairs and the economy, various side-events will take place, including the fora of think-tanks, the civic society and the business sector. Deputy Minister Szynkowski vel Sęk also emphasized that Poland wants to provoke the idea of expanding the Berlin Process to include parliamentary cooperation.

 

MFA Press Office