The European Union High Commissioner for Foreign Policy and Security, Frederica Mogherini said today that the situation in Western Balkans is tensed, and it requires a strong and reliable EU support.

She told the journalists on the verge of the meeting of the Foreign Policy and Defense Ministers that she would report to the Ministers about her visit to Western Balkans that “the situation there is facing challenges in the internal, regional and global plan.”

The government of Kosovo has approved proposal for establishment of the Western Balkans Fund designed to act as a cooperation platform between Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) and Serbia.

Croatia's EU accession marked the end of one accession model, Regional Cooperation Council Secretary-General Goran Svilanovic said on Thursday.

The process is now completely different for Western Balkan states due to the circumstances in the region and the EU itself, such as the economic crisis, migration and Brexit, he said.

"Europe must define itself first," Svilanovic said at a conference titled (Re)-Balkanisation of the Western Balkans.

The National Assembly of Serbia on Thursday passed a bill ratifying an agreement on the establishment of the Western Balkans Fund with the aim of strengthening ties and encouraging the European integration of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Kosovo, Macedonia and Serbia.

The fund will finance different projects, helping the signatories to become better connected and reach the ultimate goal of EU accession faster.

The fight against corruption in the Western Balkans and Turkey is failing, putting European Union accession at risk, highlights Transparency International in its latest report. Political elites have too much power and there are limited ways to hold the corrupt to account, the report further stated.

From the refugee crisis to security threats, Europe’s biggest challenges pass through the Western Balkans. But officials worry that Brexit will see the EU turn inwards just as Russia’s influence in the region is on the rise.

Serbian PM Aleksandar Vučić on Tuesday received European Commissioner for Transport Violeta Bulc, highlighting the significance of transport projects for the development of Serbia and noting a commitment to establishing cooperation aimed at connecting the entire Western Balkans through a transport network.

Vucic said a motorway connecting Niš, Merdare, Pristina, Tirana and Durres was a priority, as were other projects agreed as part of the Berlin Process, the Serbian government press office said in a statement.

A region still enthusiastic about the European Union is being rebuffed

http://www.economist.com/news/europe/21700685-region-still-enthusiastic-about-european-union-being-rebuffed-applications-deferred

The European Western Balkans portal carries the peace below, which was originally published on the Ifri  (French Institute for International Relations) web page.

German’s policy towards the Western Balkans is marked by continuous commitment that put different emphasis in different phases: reconstruction, stabilisation, consolidation of rule of law and market economy as well as member-state building.

The winner in the Austrian presidential race, Alexander Van der Bellen, has said in a statement to Tanjug that, in his capacity as the head of state, he will work on supporting the region of the Western Balkans along the path toward the EU. Van der Bellen gave this statement to Tanjug ahead of Sunday's election in which he won the highest number of votes.