CEI Secretary General Franco Dal Mas, attended the "Friends of the Western Balkans" ministerial meeting in Rome on 10 February 2025.
The gathering chaired by the Vice President and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Antonio Tajani, aimed at strengthening coordination on the goals and priorities to be pursued in 2025 regarding the European integration of the Balkan region. It was attended by the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission, Kaja Kallas; the European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, Marta Kos; the Foreign Ministers of the Western Balkans, along with their counterparts from the "Friends of the Western Balkans" group (Austria, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Greece, Italy, Slovakia and Slovenia).
Secretary General Dal Mas emphasised, in particular, the importance of coordinated actions to promote dialogue and cooperation in the region, as well as the role the CEI plays.
"The CEI has always represented a crucial bridge between the EU member countries and those that are not yet part of the Union, and it is a fundamental goal for me to continue this journey in my capacity as Secretary General. The Western Balkans are a priority for our Organisation, and through political dialogue and our projects, we are committed to supporting institutional reforms, connectivity, and sustainability that prepare the region for future challenges. Our goal is to contribute to the fastest possible integration of the Western Balkan countries into the EU. The success of the Western Balkans is the success of Europe," stated Dal Mas.
He also recalled his visit to Serbia the previous week, in the framework of the CEI Serbian Presidency 2025, where discussions with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Marko Djuric focused on concrete initiatives that the CEI-Secretariat intended to work on, such as the Trieste-Belgrade railway corridor and the Falcone-Borsellino legal diplomacy project, which could strengthen cooperation in the region in line with EU standards.
Emphasising the importance of the connection between Belgrade and Trieste, Minister Tajani declared that Trieste "can be the main reference port for all the Balkans," and that "Infrastructure is needed."