In Sofia, during a meeting of the Group of European Conservatives and Reformists, Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ekaterina Zaharieva made a brief analysis of the situation in the region and of the achievements of Bulgaria during its Presidency of the Council of the EU.

Among the successes, she pointed out bringing the topic of the European perspective of the Western Balkan countries back to the agenda. She pointed out the importance of not losing the focus on the Western Balkans. According to her, the focus on the Western Balkans over the past six months has prompted leaders in these countries to start solving problems left open for decades and to speed up the pace of reforms.