RCC Secretary General Amer Kapetanović at the Dubrovnik Forum 

Dubrovnik – Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) Secretary General Amer Kapetanović took part in the 19th Dubrovnik Forum, speaking at the panel “The EU and the Western Balkans: Resolving Unfinished Business Together.” Held under the overarching theme “The Age of Multipolarity: Many Directions, One Future,” this year’s Forum brought together political leaders, diplomats, policymakers and experts to discuss the changing global order, Europe’s security and strategic position, and the importance of cooperation in an increasingly fragmented international environment. 

The panel focused on the renewed strategic urgency of the European Union’s engagement with the Western Balkans Six and the need to move from political commitments to credible implementation. Participants discussed how to preserve a fair and merit-based enlargement process while responding to growing geopolitical and security pressures, uneven progress across the region and the need for faster European consolidation. 

“The European Union’s engagement with the Western Balkans Six is no longer only a question of enlargement policy; it is a strategic necessity for Europe as a whole. The region needs a credible, fair and merit-based path towards membership, but credibility must be matched by delivery. Political commitments must translate into reforms, investment, stronger regional cooperation and tangible benefits for citizens. In a more fragmented and uncertain world, completing Europe means bringing the Western Balkans Six firmly into the European family,” said RCC Secretary General Amer Kapetanović. 

Moderated by Alexander Rhotert, former Bundeswehr Colonel and former Chief of Cabinet of the Office of the High Representative, the panel featured, alongside RCC SG Amer Kapetanović; Gordan Grlić Radman, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of Croatia;   Ervin Ibrahimović, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Montenegro; Ferit Hoxha, Minister of European and Foreign Affairs of Albania; Elmedin Konaković, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina; Željana Zovko, Member of the European Parliament; and Ulrike Hartmann, Special Envoy for Southeast Europe and EU Enlargement, Ministry of European and International Affairs of Austria. 

On the margins of the Dubrovnik Forum, Kapetanović also held a brief bilateral meeting with Slovenia’s Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tone Kajzer. The meeting provided an opportunity for an exchange on regional cooperation and the European perspective of the Western Balkans Six.