BSF in Slovenia focuses on Afghanistan, EU enlargement

The 16th Bled Strategic Forum (BSF) kicked off at the lakeside resort of Bled on Wednesday. The two-day event is expected to focus on the threat of a new migration crisis, EU enlargement and the Covid-19 pandemic, reported Xinhua.

The BSF is conceived as a highlight of the Slovenian EU presidency this year, and it will be accompanied by informal meetings of foreign ministers and defence ministers.

"Not a single European country wants a repeat of 2015" or the policy of open borders, Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa said about the prospect of an influx of migrants from Afghanistan.

Most other leaders also expressed concern about the influx of immigrants. But European Parliament President David Sassoli voiced disappointment with the fact that none of the member states had expressed willingness to accept Afghan refugees.

The stalled process of EU enlargement to the Western Balkans was another major topic. The panelists called for a continuation of the enlargement process as a matter of strategic importance.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic assessed that there was no enthusiasm for the enlargement process, and that he would like to see the EU providing some clarity to the Western Balkans.

Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said that it was a strategic necessity to integrate the Western Balkan countries in the EU, including in terms of strengthening defence capabilities.

A debate on post-pandemic recovery noted the importance of green transition and digitalisation for the process, with a broad agreement that economic measures must go hand in hand with healthcare measures, in particular vaccination.

Slovenian Finance Minister Andrej Sircelj said that vaccination was one of the most efficient ways for recovery, not only in terms of the health crisis, but also in terms of the economy.

The forum attracted the participation of several presidents and nearly ten prime ministers of Central and Eastern European countries, and many others attended in person, plus some high-profile panelists remotely.