Foreign Minister of Finland Pekka Haavisto attends the 2019 Western Balkans Summit in Poland

On 4 July 2019, Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto will attend the Western Balkans Summit to be held in Poznań, Poland. The main topics will be regional cooperation in the Western Balkans and strengthening the EU perspective.

“As a region at the heart of Europe, the stability of the Western Balkans is also in the interests of Finland. Regional cooperation is instrumental in promoting stability and prosperity. This is not only a matter for governments, but young people and civil society actors have a crucial role in the process,” says Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto.

Haavisto points out that the countries of the Western Balkans should pay closer attention to the rule of law.

“While the necessary reforms are closely related to convergence of the Western Balkan States with the EU, they will also benefit the citizens of these countries even prior to accession,” Haavisto notes.

When meeting with his colleagues from the Western Balkan States at the Summit, Foreign Minister Haavisto will present the priorities of Finland's Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

The Poznań Summit will be attended by the countries of the Western Balkans and representatives from EU member states, including Germany and France. The foreign ministers’ meeting will take place in the margins of the annual summit of the Berlin Process. The Berlin Process was launched five years ago at the initiative of Germany with the main objective of improving regional cooperation in the Western Balkans.

Inquiries: Jarno Lappalainen, Special Adviser to the Minister, tel. +358 40 053 6973, and Markku Lampinen, Director, Unit for South-Eastern Europe, tel +358 50 569 0664.

The Foreign Ministry’s email addresses are in the format [email protected]