Johannes Hahn attends informal Western Balkans Prime Ministers' meeting in Durrës, Albania

Johannes Hahn, Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, will travel to Durrës, Albania, on Saturday 26 August, to attend the informal meeting of the Prime Ministers of the Western Balkans Six.

The focus of the meeting will be on boosting the implementation of the commitments taken at the Trieste Summit in July 2017, especially the action plan on the deepening of regional economic integration. The Regional Economic Area agreed at the Trieste Summit will provide new opportunities for businesses and citizens alike and strengthen growth and jobs. The next concrete steps include the mutual recognition of professional qualifications, identifying and scrapping red tape and regulatory barriers that impede trade and investment in the region, setting up a regional dialogue on digital transformation, and launching negotiations on a dispute settlement mechanism.

The European Commission strongly supports the Western Balkans’ regional co-operation as an integral part of their EU accession perspective, through substantial investments in connecting infrastructure, economies and people within the region itself and between the Western Balkans’ region and the European Union.

Videos and photos of the visit will be available on EbS.