Mateusz Morawiecki is due to attend the event in the German capital alongside the leaders of the six Western Balkan countries, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
Leaders from Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, France, Germany, Greece, Italy and Slovenia, as well as Britain, are also expected to take part.
Hosted by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the summit will feature top officials from the EU’s executive European Commission, the bloc’s European External Action Service (EEAS), and international organisations including the European Investment Bank (EIB), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) and the Regional Youth Cooperation Office (RYCO).
Energy security, economic cooperation
The meeting is set to focus on the future of the Western Balkan countries, energy security and ways to further strengthen economic cooperation in the region, through the EU’s Common Regional Market initiative, according to Piotr Müller, the spokesman for the Polish government.
Western Balkan leaders are expected to sign three agreements on mutual recognition of identity cards, university degrees and professional qualifications, the Reuters news agency reported.
In addition, the summit will adopt a joint declaration on energy security and green transformation in the region, officials said.
Poland supports Western Balkans’ EU bid: gov't spokesman
Müller told reporters that “Poland supports the plan to enlarge the EU to include the Western Balkans countries.”
He noted that Poland in 2018 joined the so-called Berlin Process, designed to bring the Western Balkans closer to the EU. In 2019, Poland presided over the initiative, culminating in a Western Balkans Summit in the western Polish city of Poznań.
More than 100 political, social and other projects were delivered throughout 2019, with a particular focus on the problems of youth, Müller said.
“Poland has allocated over EUR 1.5 million for infrastructure projects in the Western Balkans region, supporting initiatives to combat corruption, among other projects,” he added, as cited by the PAP news agency.
(pm/gs)
Source: PAP, gov.pl, Reuters, dw.com