Speaking at a joint press conference after the plenary session, President Musar reaffirmed Slovenia’s strong support for the enlargement of the European Union, stressing that the Western Balkans must become part of the bloc.

“I firmly believe that all Western Balkan countries should be part of the EU – not only for their own benefit but also for ours – because peace and security in Europe will be at risk if we fail to achieve this,” Musar said.

She praised European Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos for her efforts, expressing hope that all 27 EU member states would recognize the need to accelerate the process.

“Slovenia will continue to promote and seek solutions to speed up enlargement. The EU was founded as a peace project, and for me, that remains the most important thing,” Musar added.

For his part, Croatian President Zoran Milanović underlined that Croatia offers assistance to all countries in the region without distinction.

“I do not see this process as any form of mentorship by Slovenia or Croatia toward non-EU members. The Croatian government provides help wherever possible, without discrimination, and I believe this will continue,” he said.

Milanović noted that there is too little discussion about the EU’s internal organization. “The European community has become a large and complex administration. While I’m not a believer in the EU as an institution, I accept it as an important framework for open states – though the borders we have set often make little sense,” he added.

The Croatian president also expressed his wish for the next Brdo-Brijuni meeting to be hosted in Croatia.

The Brdo-Brijuni Process, launched in 2010 by Slovenia and Croatia, brings together Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Serbia to foster regional cooperation and advance European integration.

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