Former Croatian President emphasizes importance of Western Balkans for Europe integration

Former Croatian President Ivo Josipovi? emphasized at the XI Global Baku Forum that the Western Balkans play a crucial role in completing Europe, Azernews reports.

Thus, he believes it is in the best interest of Europe to integrate the Western Balkans into the European Union.

However, Josipovi? pointed out a caveat, noting that the capabilities of both the European Union and specific Western Balkan countries need to be considered. He stressed the need for the European Union to adopt a more flexible approach regarding the criteria for membership.

Josipovi? highlighted the tension between political and security criteria and the Copenhagen criteria, both technically and politically. He observed that while some EU member countries meet these criteria, the EU lacks a coherent and unified security and foreign policy, which he considers a weakness.

The XI Global Baku Forum brings together representatives from numerous countries and esteemed international organizations, with over 350 guests from more than 70 nations participating.

Running until March 16, the forum hosts discussions on various global issues, including the outcomes of COP28 and preparations for COP29, threats to the current world order, security challenges, peace prospects, strategies for stability in a fragmented world, global impacts, solutions to humanity's challenges, and significant global threats such as climate change, food security, and nuclear safety.

Additionally, discussions address the roles of military and economic alliances in global governance, regional perspectives, the European Union's relationships with its neighbors, youth policies, resilience-building against global challenges, inequality, natural resource scarcity, migration issues, artificial intelligence, and emerging security paradigms in the era of drones and cyberweapons.