It is a pleasure to be here in this wonderful bay, a place where – when you look outside the window, the blue waters meet majestic mountains. But it is also a place where people, languages and cultures have met for centuries. Tivat – and the entire Western Balkans – lie at the heart of European Union's history, and your place is at the heart of the European Union.
And indeed, this is the reason why we meet for a second time within six months. Today, we are making big strides to build a more independent European Union. A Union that is more secure, resilient and complete. And it will not be complete without the Western Balkans. This is why this Summit is so important. Over the day, we will discuss closer cooperation on security and geopolitics, we will explore avenues to bring our economies and our people closer with the Growth Plan, and we will discuss how to make the enlargement process faster, more visible, and more strategic. And I want to say to all Western Balkan partners – but specifically to our host, Montenegro – there is momentum. Let us turn this momentum into movement, and the movement into membership.
