 Well that was quick Thanks very much usually takes about five minutes and about three shouts, but that's excellent Okay, I'm gonna be extremely brief because we want to hear from Europe And to demonstrate our genuine transatlanticism. I would say that And that we are not EU bashes despite what you may have heard this morning in fact quite the opposite We want the European Union to be as successful as possible We have with us today. I think one of the finest representatives of the wider Europe, and I mean that in a most comprehensive way Beginning his career in a Czechoslovak foreign service, and I underlined Czechoslovak a country that used to exist in 1988 Miroslav Leitschak progressed rapidly up the Slovak diplomatic ladder after Slovakia gained independence at the beginning of 1993 and Ended up during the last decade as one of the key figures I think in the European Union not only dealing with the West Balkans But also deciding on the West Balkans, and let me very briefly read from his bio Miroslav is managing director for Europe in Central Asia He's actually expanded his portfolio beyond of course the Balkans at the European External Action Service He has previously served as director general for political affairs in the Slovak Ministry of Foreign Affairs Has a as I've mentioned extensive experience in Southeast Europe where he was best known for his role as mediator and personal representative of the EU High Representative Savvier Solana in Montenegro in 2006 where he oversaw What we thought would be a controversial referendum, but it turned out To be a representative referendum In fact, maybe you need to add Montenegro as one of Montenegro as one of your languages in the in your bio I noticed you have hyphenated Bosnian Serbian Croatian So actually without further ado because I want to give as much time to Miros possible. Let me leave it there and Floor is yours. Thank you very much. Thanks for coming Thank you very much Janus for your in invitation and for Presenting me to the audience. I would also like to thank Heather Connolly for her Invitation to this conference and I have to say I love speaking about the Western Balkans here in the United States Because I find the discussion here More difficult but also more inspiring and I'm well aware of the fact that I'm the only Participant in today's conference who doesn't come from either United States or the Western Balkans I'm representing the European Union. So don't be surprised that my views might not be Totally compatible with the views presented here But take them as authentic European Union views on the region and I really believe that in order to stimulate the discussion It's in everybody's interest that we do not Repeat the same points But we rather Engage in exchange of sometimes different views, but our views are as a matter of fact not different The truth also is that every time when I'm invited to speak about the Western Balkans I My first question is if there is even a possibility to say something new something that hasn't been said many times before Because we seem to know everything about the region and so many of us and so many of you in this room have spent Years in in the region and know so much about the realities of the region But on the other hand if this was true and if everything has been said and everything has been done Then the Balkans today would be a much better place and we wouldn't be organizing organizing conferences like this one The same as we no longer organize conferences about the Central Europe for example, so that means that something must be wrong and I would say that amount of our investment our political military financial Investment into the region is just not adequate to the results We we see we receive namely to the progress achieved on the ground. So what's wrong and what needs to change? I Was asked to and I will speak more about European Union policy in the region not about the region itself so much because we have two panels Discussing the most complex issues in the region in much greater detail. So let me start by saying that It has been widely accepted that the European Union's enlargement in 2004 has been a success Why was this so? Because the European Union on the side of the candidate countries and I come from one of the countries that used to be candidate for at that time European Union integration was number one priority. That means everything that was done in the political lives of this country was measured against the ultimate goal of joining the European Union and Was considered whether it will help or will not help to get the countries closer and faster there Second there was wide political consensus and very strong public support for the European Union Integration and third it was understood that it's about reforms It's about changing states societies Systems and the membership comes as a logical consequence of this change on the European Union side There was Nationality there was clear and transparent set of rules for the process The European Union applied individual and merits based approach to each of the candidate countries and There was a mutual respect to the rules of the game as said and defined by the European Union And let's not forget that regional cooperation has proved to be an extremely efficient instrument that countries of Central and Eastern Europe Profited from both regionally and also in their integration process So are we in the same situation with the countries of the Western Balkans? No Why not? There are many reasons and let me elaborate on them It's been clearly stated and constantly reiterated that the Western Balkans have European perspective This is a clear offer of membership in a broad European family Which is voluntarily based on democratic values on single market and unified rules and this is not a small thing Just see how much the countries. I'm also dealing with In my current capacity countries like Georgia Ukraine or Moldova would wish to have the same perspective, but they don't So I guess I'm not wrong to claim that the European Union idea is more broadly accepted and wanted by the common people in The Western Balkans rather than by their political elites With all due respect to Zlatko, of course while People rather focus more on the carrots of the membership the leaders seem to be more worried about the sticks that Are attached to it and there is actually a huge discrepancy between expectations of people who won't progress European Union membership who won't freedom of movement better life and prosperity and Effort or lack of it on the side of many politicians in the region who revert to their individual interests Elitism oligarchy sometimes retrograde political concepts and quest for full and not necessarily transparent control over Political and economic processes in their countries or in parts of the countries And as a logical consequence the European Union idea is still not the leading and predominant one To make a U-turn in the mentality in the region European Union integration is important, but it's objectively not a number one priority in the region It is being mentioned But it's still not the driving force. It's rather more about words not yet about the deeds and results Too many bilateral and post-conflict issues in the Western Balkans still prevail as We all know the name issue the border issue the definition of the state issue minority and refugees issues and There is also this constant quasi dilemma, which we hear time and again from number of politicians from the region If I have to choose between the European Union integration and and you can insert whatever you want my my entity my language I will definitely go for the for the letter not for the former which is certainly not helpful So as a result that the Western Balkans seem still too consumed by domestic politics and by electoral calendars But European Union is determined to do as much as we can to help the region But at the same time it's clear that we cannot do More and we cannot bond the European integration of the Western Balkans more than the countries themselves want Joining of the European Union requires a lot of work, which is not politically attractive in the short term But it is about what's best for the countries and it's about what other people want and you know how Popular the idea of the European integration is in each of the countries of the Western Balkans At the same time European Union and we must not forget it Needs to be sure that each applicant is fully able willing and prepared to respect and fulfill our rules Which means the decades of the European Union? Evolution cannot and must not be undermined just because one or more countries wish to join Moreover enlargement shall not only solve the problems of the regions of the Western Balkan But it shall also further strengthen the European Union and that's are also important to keep in mind So I'd like to stress here two important principles First the European Union Integration process must be about reforms. It must be about wanting political economic and social transition The membership comes at the end as I said as a logical consequence of the effort and implemented reforms that have made these countries Compatible with the European Union standards So it's not about managing the change in the region It's about helping the countries to manage the change But the bulk of the work must be done on the ground and we are here when we stand ready to help and assist because it's in everybody's interest So European Union membership is not a reward for the best efficient lobbying effort in Brussels or in the capitals of the EU member states It's also an important not to forget. It's a license given after lots of successful exams and hard work Now a lot has been said already and I'm sure will be set Also in the second panel about the current role of the European Union in the Western Balkans region. So let me Just bring a couple of facts about what the European Union is doing in the region today We have the so-called stabilization and association process Which is the framework for the EU negotiations with the Western Balkan countries and you know that for the countries of Central Europe European Union proposed association process while in the Western Balkans we have stabilization and association Process and this is the process that should lead them all the way to their Accession to the European Union and it has three aims first stabilizing the countries and encouraging their swift transition to a market economy second promoting regional cooperation and third membership of the European Union We offer so-called stabilization and association agreements to the potential applicants and candidate countries They are very comprehensive contractual frameworks Which are covering political dialogue regional cooperation the so-called for freedoms that means freedom of movement of goods services capital and people They cover justice and home affairs approximation of laws and law enforcement financial cooperation and help Implementation rules and assistance and other sectoral cooperation policies such as telecommunication energy environment and so on and so forth So it's about all encompassing frame of reforms and it comes together and let's not underestimate it with free of charge advice and Know-how so if the candidate country or applicant country is serious about its European future Then it makes this future very tangible it because it simply is there and The European Union stands ready to assist and to help Then the next and probably the most attractive part of our assistance is the so-called IPA instrument for pre-accession assistance the total funding for the region of the Western Balkans for the period 2007 through 2013 is 11.5 billion euros which is not a small thing again and these funds are intended for transition for Institution building for regional development for cross-border cooperation, etc And on top of it in the Western Balkans We also employ our common security and defense policy tools in order to help to stabilize the region and enable its progress towards the European Union membership here. I'm talking about our civilian missions such as you legs in Kosovo or military missions such as U4 in Bosnia and Herzegovina and this combination of enlargement financial and CSDP elements is Expressed also operationally in our double-headed Representations that exist both in Kosovo and in Bosnia and Herzegovina and we faced out one in Fyro Macedonia at the beginning of this year So here let me point out that this three component approach its novelty and has been tailor-made for the region of the Western Balkans Now to take a bit of stock what has been achieved so far where we are at the end of 2011 We have three current candidates for the EU membership Croatia Fyro Macedonia and Montenegro and four potential candidates Albania Bosnia Herzegovina Kosovo and Serbia Out of which two Albania and Serbia already applied for membership But they are still waiting for the European Union to grant them the candidate status and what the year 2011 means for each of them You know that European Commission just Last month produced a very detailed progress report about the progress achieved by each of the countries I'm certainly not going to repeat it, but one sentence per country Should be probably sufficient here. Croatia is about to join This country is a foolproof to the rest of the Western Balkans that it is possible and it is achievable Croatia will sign its accession treaty on the 9th of December and from then on The our Croatian partners will be sitting with us in the council in the working groups first as observers and later on as a full-fledged participants Montenegro fulfill the recommendations from the last year's progress report and Therefore the Commission proposed opening of accession negotiations. We are waiting for the decision of the December European Council on the date Major steps have been done by Serbia on the ICTY file Which was closed this year and this is bringing this country very close to the candidate status What needs to be done now, of course, is the implementation of the commitments already accepted by Serbia in the dialogue with Pristina And as we speak the dialogue is taking place in in in Brussels Fyro Macedonia We hope that the momentum to resolve the name issue could be restored after the elections and formation of the government in Skopje and with the new Greek government and it's an opportunity. We should not miss In Albania, we have seen an awful political deadlock throughout most of the year 2011 but We are also pleased to see some very promising Parliamentarian activities in Albania and I really want to hope that this is going to To to restart the process. Yes, keep our fingers crossed for this Most of our current effort with all our tools goes nowadays to Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo And it's no surprise that it's exactly these two cases these two countries that are being debated here today in much greater Detailed than the rest of the region In Bosnia-Herzegovina, we have been constantly repeating the warning of losing yet another year and that the risk of falling behind the rest of the region is imminent and Unfortunately, the Commission's progress report confirms this as 2011 has not produced much progress No agreement on a central level government has been found No real European platform has emerged among the political parties and no real engagement on the reforms among political parties was noticed by The European Union without going into details because this will be discussed Later on let me simply state that Bosnia-Herzegovina's problem problem is twofold First its political establishment is divided over how the country should function and second It's its constitutional setup. It's which was inherited as a settlement of the war reinforces these divisions European Union is willing to help But will not impose solutions to such fundamental questions We believe that there is no alternative to local solution and local compromise compromise, which we wholeheartedly support We stand ready to help to transform the consensus on the EU integration that is a very strong Feature in Bosnia-Herzegovina into a process a process through which we will be able to answer the other Existential questions that means to address the problems against the backdrop of the European Union membership perspective and our readiness Was also translated into a tailor-made approach for Bosnia-Herzegovina in particular Which was reflected first in our March strategy, which was adopted by the 27 foreign ministers of the European Union then in in May In the launch of the structure dialogue on judiciary in September by appointment our Reinforced double-headed representative who is the EU special representative and the head of EU delegation in Sarajevo and in October with a new Foreign affairs council conclusions that defined our current Modified approach on the EU for Althea operation and also indicate the proposed or suggested way forward for the OHR The next step As we see it will be to give our presence enough time to demonstrate its potential on the ground before we move further What has been done by the European Union so far particularly in 2011? I believe confirms that we do have strategy and instruments for Bosnia-Herzegovina The other concern is Kosovo and by implication Serbia It is another case where we are convinced that the European perspective that they both share is the most conducive context for finding the way forward That practical solutions which are based on the European Union rules famous Akis Agree which are must and must be agreeable to both should be defined and implemented That a proactive Facilitation by the European Union helps to turn attention to the common objective of Brussels European Union led effort is based on all the values and principles we strongly believe in it is a dialogue Which is discussing issues to improve lives of people and some of their basic freedoms such as freedom of movement Right for security and so on it is a transparent exchange of positions between the two partners That voluntarily sit at the same table and discuss directly I've heard some criticism towards this dialogue and you know that Robert was invited to take part in this conference But he's chairing the dialogue right now or facilitating the dialogue. I Don't think that much of public diplomacy Would be help conducive and helpful to achieving the goals of the dialogue. I can hardly remember any statement coming of Belgrade that made the situation in in Pristina and Kosovo Easier to accept the dialogue and vice versa. So but let's let's be assured that All the EU member states and the United States are fully in the picture United States participates in the dialogue and plays a very important role in the dialogue So we believe that this is the best way forward It's a best way forward for both for Serbia and for Kosovo because it is a step of towards normalization Towards stabilization and towards the European Union It's the only platform where Belgrade and Pristina are talking to each other So it should be in everybody's interest to strengthen this channel and it's we we need to come to the point when both Belgrade and Pristina will appreciate and value and and To having this channel and we'll work to to broaden the scale of issues that are being discussed as a part of the dialogue And This dialogue is also very important more broadly first to prevent a potential frozen conflict in the region and particularly in the northern Kosovo, which we will not which is not acceptable to keep the enlargement strategy alive and tangible To both of them to help European integration of Kosovo together with the rest of the region and To reiterate European Union support to the principle of territorial integrity This is the principle that we apply throughout the region. We don't believe in the partitions being Way forward or solution of to any of the problems Western Balkans is facing on the contrary So all that I just said about the European Union engagement leads me to a logical conclusion that the Transformational power of the European Union and enlargement has proved successful and that we shall pursue This policy is further Such a comprehensive enlarge engagement is our strategy It's our offer to the Western Balkans and it's our testimony to what we believe in And you can rest assured that European Union will remain engaged. This is our firm conviction Which is reiterated again and again Now coming back to the title of this conference time for change. Maybe I could suggest a change of paradigm First we must build our policies on realities not on wishful thinking as Much as we might wish that Europe was not divided on the issue of Kosovo That's a reality so instead of crying why is it 20 to 5 we shall build our policies on on the fact that it is how it is As much as we might wish or we try to be given much greater support particularly from the European Union It's not the case because majority of the EU member states Don't believe that this is the right way to to progress in the European in Bosnia-Herzegovina And they would wish to give much more space to the European agenda rather than to the OHR agenda Which is a reality whether we like it or not so Let's stop saying what if and let's start building our policies on where we are This is probably the best point of departure. We shouldn't we should not get stuck in time It's impossible to deal with the challenges of 2011 Through the instruments of 90s. We shall Be very clear that status quo is not a strategy Maintaining the status quo is Not offering positive and sustainable solutions for the western Balkans on the contrary. It's a way of deepening crisis And also our approach It is not and should not be about Individuals about personalities it should be about countries about processes about inclusiveness and about the perspective for each of the countries and for the whole region and And it was also mentioned here We have to see things in wider perspective and speaking about western Balkans We must not forget about the Arab Spring about Iran about other issues because whenever we Require political decision. This is how people look at the issues to put it on the scale of challenges That they are facing globally These are important points if we want to implement a strategy, which is credible and which is tangible For the region and this is what we want. So to conclude I'm convinced that the European Union's enlargement policy remains the right vehicle for the western Balkans Compared to the previous enlargement our approach has become more tailor-made and we will come we continue working on it as I explained before But such approach will still needs to be formulated against the backdrop of European perspective And on the basis of the European Union's best practices and Akis and the candidates and applicants will still be judged on the buried on the on the basis of their individual merits and achievements The fact that European Union is going through its internal challenges and has to dedicate much more time and energy To its internal issue does not mean that we have departed from our from our commitment towards the region of the western Balkans enlargement is and will continue to be our policy with regard to the western Balkans and We are proving our commitment through the progress progress achieved every year as Reflected in the Commission's progress report and in the council decision So no one can say that the process has has come to a standstill because it's not true and I'm sure that the interest of the United States States is the same Because we have jointly invested so much in the region and we need to preserve our investment together And therefore the full and clear backing of the of the European Union in the western Balkans by the United States is Necessary the European Union needs clearly demonstrated and applied trust of the United States We are allies and we are allies in the western Balkans project European Union success in the region is our common interest and it's our common success United States has played and continues to play very important role in the western Balkans region We are fully aware of it and we fully appreciate it We have a good track record of successes in the region Particularly when the United States and European Union acted united formulated common visions and spoke with one voice And we have always been a good tandem of heart and soft power And we shall continue to play this leading role together and united and this philosophy has been Outlined and reflected a number of times also by the statements Delivered by the US officials such as a Phil Gordon speech in Sarajevo in June or his Presentation to the Congress last week and I'm very pleased to say that we share the philosophy of our approach So ladies and gentlemen, this is our strategy our offer and our vision. We are convinced This is the only credible way forward. We are not disengaging On the contrary when talking about the western Balkans as critical as we might be about the Actions and activities and the role played by the European Union We shall still acknowledge and let's face it that the European Union is the only International player with a very concrete tangible and positive strategy for the region Promising those countries a very clear perspective perspective that we offer namely the membership perspective Should therefore be our joint program and our joint platform for our future common actions and this that's I believe is The best we can jointly do for the region of the western Balkans. Thank you very much Okay, thank you very much Miroslav. We have about 10 minutes and I want to jump in with the first question Probably an obvious one you refer to it near the end about commitments But given the crisis within the European Union itself, I don't want to exaggerate it too much But there are those that do nevertheless. There is a crisis in the eurozone economic stagnation Sovereign debts increasing social disquiet How does this impact on enlargement policy amongst voters amongst politicians? Particularly if they begin to equate Let's say the performance of countries such as Greece and Italy and others with the West Balkan aspirants In other words the idea that they're not well-governed that they don't know how to do budgeting That they're corrupt or there are some very special interests involved that they do not meet basic European Union criteria Is that having an impact would you say in EU policy? Yes and no As I like to say European Union is an organism rather than a mechanism and we are going through different times and different periods There are moments when enlargement is very high on the list of our priorities and there are moments when we focus on Different issues, but what's most important? It is our official policies that has never been questioned The fact that European Union has got less time and less money to deal with the western Balkans Means that we expect more from the countries of the region to do their homework and to come to us with more of solutions rather than problems and once again, it has never been questioned our commitment is here to stay and It everything depends on the progress on the ground in the countries of the western Balkans region Okay, thanks very much questions. I see Mike lady next to Mike. Let's start with the two of you actually Mike Thank you very much, Mike Hultzels, John Sopkins says thank you, Mr. Leitch act for your comprehensive and hard-hitting remarks You said that we can't Hold with the status quo in the western Balkans. I'm assuming that You're not talking about changing of borders in that regard. I mean, that's one status quo that I would have thought we would hold to Okay Okay, my question is the following You mentioned the the various tools the EU has including stability mechanisms including EU for in Bosnia and Herzegovina and In the previous panel several people said that any change in borders would be romantic and counterproductive and Have a domino effect They didn't say that they would also be immoral because any change of borders Especially with regard to the Republic of Serbska would have been the result of ethnic cleansing and genocide of the population So my question is very simple Has the EU considered Moving Some of its EU four troops up to Birchco Which is a federal district as a demonstration that even though the EU has a structured dialogue with the RS that It wants to make absolutely clear that the RS is part of the Bosnia and Herzegovina and that's a fact of life and the presence of however many hundred EU soldiers in Birchco would demonstrate that Is that something you might consider? Thank you, even a Howard National Endowment for democracy You read that the title of the presentation or the conference today is time for change But it's a new transatlantic approach and you mentioned the US towards the very end maybe one more time before But surprisingly you mostly talked about the EU approaches and only mentioned us in a sense that the US should join you in these approaches and Of course, I think there it's no secret here in Washington There's an impression that there is really a no joint approach particularly when it comes to Bosnia and what happened with Lady Ashton's visit to Banyaluk earlier this year and the resulting structural changes Was something that really drew a line between the approaches between The European Union towards the resulting the issue in Bosnia and the US and at the relationship between the two is not maybe as As nice as everybody would like to to say publicly I think most of the time when we ask when we ask people such as yourself everybody says no everything is fine But I think in my opinion recently The way that this was illustrated most prominently is when a friend of mine recently told me that A new technocrat asked him at one point. Why do you trust the Americans more than us? Has have you really gotten to a point that there is no trust between the Americans and the Europeans as I think There is an impression looking at it from here particularly when it comes to Bosnia. Thank you I personally always trusted Miroslav, but anyway Anybody else maybe one more question. No, okay, let me Let's be very clear Changes of border are not on the agenda will not be on the agenda is totally not acceptable I mean we the the the setup of the western Balkans is final European Union will never support any changes of borders and we shall not Think in the direction that Changing borders might solve our problems. It would open Pandora's box in the in the region with the unpredictable Impact and it's better not to dwell on it our military presence in Bosnia Herzegovina continues in line with the Decisions made by the ministers of foreign affairs in October. It's going to be well partly downgraded refocused more on training education and The deterrence Effect will be now shifted more to the over the horizon forces This is based on the conclusions made by the military people and they are also responsible for the For the way how the the forces are geographically located, but you know how high is the mobility of our forces So I have not been present at any discussions of stationing you forces in Bercico directly, but the their mandate covers the entire territory of Bosnia Herzegovina and whenever they feel or see Threats to the territorial integrity or the constitutional order of Bosnia Herzegovina They are ready to act on the basis of their mandate here so on regarding the I Was specifically asked to speak about European Union's policy in and that's what I'm doing. I believe it's important to outline and refresh to the audience what are the The strategies instruments tools the European Union has and applies in the region of the Western Balkans We know very well and we miss no opportunity to stress that if we want to be successful we need firm as possible alliance between the European Union and the United States in the Balkans and that's what we do We are in a daily context I am personally in daily contact with people who are forming and shaping the Western Balkan policy here in the State Department in The NSE so are my colleagues. We we are informing each other about Everything we do and I've also used my visit to Washington DC to to continue doing so So I absolute I absolutely disagree with us with the statement that there is no trust between the European Union and the United States there is a strong trust and This trust is being reinforced through our actions on the ground starting from Secretary Clinton and Lady Eshton down to our ambassadors on the ground in Sarajevo or in any other country of the region I Don't want to Elaborate on Eshton's visit here because this is not what I was asked to do So let me just say that this visit was highly appreciated in the European Union in Brussels and by our member states Which is also the fact of life. So but As I said the combination of the soft and hard power the fact that there are countries in the region who turned to Washington before they turn to Brussels is a fact that we appreciate and therefore It's really important not to send the signals that we might not be united because I do believe that we share the same ultimate goal for the region and and it's nothing works better in the region when the United States and European Union speak with the same voice and That's what we mutually understand very well Maybe one last question if it's a quick one Please Mr. Leiter You come from Slovakia you were a diplomat in Slovakia your country does not recognize Kosovo Four other countries don't recognize Kosovo It's a reality But what that says in terms of the European Union speaking with one voice being capable of implementing the strategies that you're talking about when there is no consensus of How to move forward and prolong the issue of full Recognition of Kosovo not only by European Union But other countries and allow after 20 years people to enjoy the same rights that the rest of Europe enjoy as I said, it's a reality and Therefore we have to to To build our policies on on this reality. It doesn't make life for the European Union easier But this this is where we are and if you want to know my personal opinion That's one of the reasons why I believe in the dialogue and why I Encourage the both parties to engage in dialogue because if you want the non recognizers to Reconsider the policy there must be a reason for them to do so That means they they it's the national positions are based on on on the resolution of the parliaments You don't go to parliaments to say I mean I've reconsidered you have to come back to your parliament to say There is a different reality on the ground They are talking to each other. They are accepting the documents. They are traveling freely They are supporting each other in regional for us So that there is a new situation compared to the one when the decision was made and therefore It's time for for us maybe to reconsider this our position So this is something that Pristina should bear in mind. No knowing how important it is To present itself as a credible international player Particularly through the dialogue and believe me that this is a very powerful instrument with multi multiple impact including on the issue Do you just raised? Okay, Europe has spoken. Thank you Muroslav