 I'm privileged to be here today. And this presents me with an opportunity because I come from a country who have seen enlargement on both ways of the sphere. Greece was lucky enough to be the first country of the Balkans who joined the European Union after a long time of dictatorship. And I belong to the generation that saw firsthand the transformation powers of enlargement. My country transformed completely in the years immediately before and after we joined the European Union. And since then, expanding the fruits, the benefits of enlargement to the other countries of the region became a steady goal of Greek foreign policy. The Thessaloniki agenda was the culmination of this policy. And I was again lucky enough to have worked for the preparation of the Thessaloniki meeting and the Thessaloniki agenda. And I remember the excitement and the high hopes attached with that. 10 years have passed, and it's easy to say that not enough has been done in the time since then. But we have to look back and see that quite a few things have been done also. The Western Balkans today is not the same place as it was in 2003, but some of the challenges they are faced with today are the same that the rest of Europe is faced with. When we speak about economic stabilization the Western Balkans, the words that come to my mind are jobs, growth, and reforms. And these are exactly the three same words that are common in the language used for European countries in economic crisis, like my own country. Of course, the context is different, and the tools to address these issues are different. But the goal is the same. And both us in the European Union and the countries aspiring to become members of the European Union have to face these three challenges. The key difference between them and us is political stability. And this is what the European Union offers. The political stability rule of law reforms in the judicial administration, public administration are the advantages, are the path that will help deal with the issue of jobs, growth, and reforms in a more substantive and a more efficient way. What's the role of the European Union in the framework of the enlargement process in order to assist the Western Balkan countries to face the economic difficulties of today? First and foremost is the process of harmonization with their key. Being in the context of stabilization and association process or the accession process itself, this process of harmonization with their key brings significant improvement in the business environment, which in turn attracts both local and foreign investors and enhance economic growth. Through interim agreements and SA agreements, enlargement countries also gain advantageous access to the EU markets, which also contributes to their economic development. Of course, the accession process can also benefit the Western Balkan countries in more intangible ways. Investors are attracted by the mere fact that enlargement countries have the increased potential to achieve long-term political and economic stability. One should never overlook this powerful perception, which enlargement countries owe to fully exploit by building political consensus on their reform agendas and by pushing forward with their implementation. There is no doubt that the most direct project-based means of promoting economic development during the accession process is through the IPA mechanism. All IPA components relate more or less directly to economic development, but the second and third components, namely cross-border cooperation and regional development, are key in this respect. They aim at achieving a sustainable economic, social and territorial development of border regions and at promoting investment in sectors like transport, environment, and economic cohesion, also preparing the future member states for the management of regional funds through the project-based approach. New funding schemes, as such as the blending mechanism propoded through the Western Balkans investment framework, constitute a significant improvement in funding projects. Funding strategic sectors for the economies of Western Balkan countries, such as transport, energy, the environment, and support to private sector, is a driver to growth. Of course, there is an additional means to promote long-term development through increased competitiveness in Western Balkan countries is their cooperation with the EU in adapting the objectives of the EU 2020 strategy to their needs and specific specificities. The EU has recognized the importance of working in tandem with the countries of the region in this important field and has supported the SE 2020 strategy, which is to be pursued regionally with the help of the RCC. And Mr. Zvilanovich will have more to say about that. Recent economic developments within the EU have been counteracting some of the benefits of the accession process in the Western Balkans. Nobody can deny that. The decrease in eurozone growth has created an unfavorable external environment for many Western Balkan countries, and this certainly affects the short-term economic and social outlook in the region. Furthermore, the EU's preoccupation with its own problems, and especially in the management of the debt crisis in the eurozone, threatens to negatively affect perceptions of enlargement both in the EU and in the enlargement countries. This can work, at least in some part, against the both multilayered contribution of the accession process to the development of the region. So the challenges that we're all faced, EU countries and enlargement countries, is how to balance the benefits against today's problems in the European Union and how perceptions affect the real goal and the real benefits, long-term benefits of proceeding with the enlargement. In order to sustain the contribution of the accession process to the economic development of candidate and potential candidate countries, it is important to focus on a number of important points. First, the EU should remain committed to its enlargement policy and continue to stress the importance of the accession process and of the key principles that govern it, including regional cooperation and good neighborly relations. The fair and rigorous implementation of the established conditionality is essential in this respect, including in order to strengthen public support for enlargement in all EU member states. This is a challenge to renew public support in EU member states, not because anybody will ever say that she is against enlargement. It is because the pressing priorities of the day push enlargement and lead in the back of the mind, and this should be fought against. At the same time, it is essential that the EU agenda constitute common political ground between all major political forces in Western Balkan countries. It is also key to reinforce the conviction in candidate and potential candidate countries that despite the economic crisis, which is mainly of global and systemic nature, the EU remains an attractive model and constitutes the only option for all our countries. Dealing with economic challenges of a volatile, globalized economy on one's own means is simply impossible. The EU remains highly adjustable to new circumstances and is bound to pull out of the crisis stronger and with more internal cohesion. So for the Western Balkan countries, there is only one way for the future, economic future and political. Both within the EU and in the Western Balkans, we should make sure that everyone understands what is at stake in the long run and act accordingly. The European project, the consolidation of peace, democracy, reconciliation, and security cannot be complete without the accession of the Western Balkans. Thinking of ways to help the countries in the region speed up necessary reforms and meet all relevant requirements is very much part of the process. Last, it is essential to maintain the level of investment in strategic sectors. New innovative financial mechanisms for funding infrastructure projects, such as Project 1, should be explored. Problems in strategic sectors such as transport, energy, and environment are of a cross-border nature and can only be solved through enhanced cooperation. Regional cooperation and interconnectivity in the Western Balkans are key elements for promoting sustainable growth and stability in the region. And in this context, they promote also understanding cooperation, a way to deal with problems, reconciliation, and above all coexistence. The Western Balkans has been a region that was hit a lot in history. Sometimes out of our own mistakes, sometimes out of external factors. In the last 10 years since the Saloniki, we've seen a rather stable era and a time when a lot of differences were ironed, maybe sometimes not in a final way, but still on the way to a final solution, which should help this process. And I think the Irish presidency, I deserve a lot of congratulations for organizing this conference and putting the issue of the launchmen back at the center of the agenda. The Greek presidency, this time, is going to follow the Irish one. And we're going to continue the work. Greece has always been the supporter and the pillar of the launchmen in the Western Balkans. We have proved that not only through political means declaration, but also through practical means. Greek investment in the Western Balkans had been a driving force for development. And even in the darkest hours, Greek companies never left the region because we're part of the region. And we have understood long time ago that we have only a common future. We cannot divide our future. And we're going to stay there and despite the economic crisis that my country is facing right now, I'm very happy to say that there has been no drop in the Greek investment in the Western Balkans. On the contrary, we have seen some more investment. And this is the most basic proof of the faith we have in the future of our neighbors. Thank you.