Working Group on the Western Balkans to discuss the progress of Kosovo towards the EU

5 November 2020. Nikola Dobroslavić, as President of the Committee of the Regions (CoR)’s Working Group (WG) on the Western Balkans, chaired a video conference to discuss the progress of Kosovo towards the EU and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic at local and regional level.

This was the first meeting of the WG under the new term of office and it focused on Kosovo’s accession path as well as on the socio-economic impact of and recovery from the Covid19 pandemic.The priorities of the group for the 2020-2025 period will be to promote and stimulate the acquisition of democratic and European values in the Western Balkans, namely the rule of law, good governance, respect of human rights, democratic values, sustainable economy, environmental protection, the fight against climate change and so forth.

Dobroslavić pointed out that: The group is an instrument to assist Local and Regional Authorities of the Western Balkan countries in their implementation of the acquis communautaire and aims to strengthen the role of local and regional self-government in the process bringing these countries closer to the European Union. In particular, the WG covers relationships with Kosovo, Bosnia Herzegovina and Albania, while cooperation with Montenegro, Serbia and Northern Macedonia happens within the framework of Joint Consultative Committees.