Prague, 13 November 2015
In the framework of the Annual Meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Visegrad countries (Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia) and of Western Balkans countries, held in Prague and attended also by Vice President of the European Commission Frans Timmermans and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the United Kingdom Philip Hammond, the Agreement on Establishment in Tirana of the Western Balkans Fund was signed.
The agreement was signed by Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, Macedonia, Kosovo* and Serbia. The establishment of the WBF aims financing small and medium size projects in fields such as education, culture, environment, youth cooperation, cross-border cooperation, etc. The Fund’s headquarters will be in Tirana. The signing of this agreement was the conclusion of a constructive long-term cooperation among countries of the region supported by the Visegrad Group countries. WBF will follow the model of the International Visegrad Fund.
The signing ceremony of the Agreement was followed by a meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Western Balkans, during which further steps to be undertaken before the Fund is formalized and its activities are launched, were discussed.
WBF will increase interaction between different actors in the region by strengthening the common values of society and regional cooperation in various fields of common interest.
Regional projects will contribute to the growth of the potential of civil society and the exchange of experiences between different actors in the region.
