Kapetanović: The Balkans is not the periphery of Europe’s security

Pržno, October 1, 2026 – Europe’s security cannot be separated from the stability of the Western Balkans. That was the main message of the Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), Amer Kapetanović, at the Berlin Process Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, held in Pržno under the Montenegrin presidency.

“A more stable Western Balkans is not a favour to Europe’s security. It is a direct contribution to it,” Kapetanović said, arguing that the region should be seen as a functional part of Europe’s security architecture and not as its periphery.

At the meeting, attended by the foreign ministers of the Western Balkans Six, European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos and senior representatives from Germany, Austria, Croatia and Slovenia, discussions focused on three closely linked challenges: security, economic convergence with the EU and the prospects of the younger generation.

Kapetanović placed regional cooperation at the centre of this process, but warned that it should not be seen as an alternative to membership of the European Union.

“Regional cooperation is not a waiting room for European integration, nor a substitute for it. It is the practical means to make this region, and consequently Europe, more stable, more interconnected and safer,” he said.

The RCC secretary general cited as an example the Common Regional Market, which has already produced concrete results, from facilitating movement and lowering roaming costs to strengthening investment links, digitalisation and convergence with the EU Single Market.

But the challenge, he said, is for economic convergence to accelerate and for the benefits of the enlargement process to be felt in everyday life. Investments in education, qualifications, human capital and technology, Kapetanović stressed, should give young people more reasons and opportunities to build their future in the Western Balkans.

Security does not stop at the border

An important part of the discussions was devoted to cyber, hybrid and disinformation threats, which, according to Kapetanović, cannot be faced by states individually.

The RCC has identified more than 350 institutional needs in the field of security governance, while the Security Governance Hub is expected to become fully operational in January 2027. The aim is to better connect the concrete needs of the region’s countries with the support of the EU and international partners.

The foreign ministers’ meeting followed that of the economy ministers, held a day earlier in Cetinje. There, Kapetanović called for faster implementation of the 2025-2028 Common Regional Market Action Plan, describing delivery on commitments as the main test of the Berlin Process’s credibility.

A concrete step was also taken with the launch of the WB6-EU Industrial Parks Partnership. Seven industrial parks and business zones from the Western Balkans signed memoranda of understanding with six partner organisations from the EU. The initiative aims at stronger business links, integration into European value chains, exchange of expertise and development of innovation and skills.

The ministerial meetings prepare the ground for the Berlin Process Leaders’ Summit on October 22 in Sveti Stefan, which will close Montenegro’s presidency for 2026.

Pržno’s message was clear: in a Europe where security, the economy and technology are increasingly intertwined, the Western Balkans is not only asking to move closer to Europe. It is asking to be treated as part of it.