Almost one year ago, a young delegate from a Western Balkan country said to me, in this very room:

“In my country, there is almost an entire generation sitting in the waiting room of the EU.”

We were hosting the Conference on Europe, bringing together representatives of EU member states and EU accession candidates here at the Federal Foreign Office.

And he’s right – it’s been more than 20 years since the EU made a promise in Thessaloniki to the countries of the Western Balkans: the door to the EU is open to you, if you meet the conditions.

Last year, like today, we must acknowledge that these hopes have not been fulfilled. And I can understand why many people are disappointed by this.

But what I also clearly felt in this room a year ago is that we now have a historic chance, a window of opportunity, to change that – and to renew the promise that has been made, by taking action.

Because since the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, there has been a common understanding among EU member states that we do not want what Putin considers “grey areas” in Europe. What he considers to be his sphere of influence.

In our view, the accession of the Western Balkan states – just like the accession of Ukraine and Georgia – is a geopolitical necessity.

We don’t see your countries as “grey areas”. We see you as partners. As fellow Europeans. And we want you to join the EU as full members as soon as possible.

There has never been as much agreement on this in the EU as there is today, and this is why we have to seize the moment.

Now, there is a huge opportunity at hand. An opportunity to move towards more economic cooperation in the Western Balkans.

And that is crucial. Because we have learned from the history of the European Union that Europe's economic community was the foundation on which our political community grew.

We therefore want to work to ensure that the course is set for implementation of the Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA), before the summit meeting of heads of state and government on 14 October.

For almost two years, we as foreign ministers have been working hard to lay the foundation for this. Now, thanks to your commitment, thanks to all the ministers present here today and to their teams behind them, we are close to agreeing on a new action plan for the common regional market within the next two weeks.

This can unlock untapped economic potential; but it will also bring your economies closer to the European Single Market.

That will be the focus of our work at this conference today.

And we know that this is not only about economic cooperation.

That’s what the history of the European Union teaches us.

What once started as the European Coal and Steel Community, as an economic organisation, has not only become the biggest single market in the world.

It has also become a union of freedom, peace and security.

Therefore, we should not limit our cooperation to economic matters.

We are also looking at the aspects of democracy, rule of law, and good prospects for younger generations.

That is why I am glad that the six Western Balkan countries have also reached a new mobility agreement that will make it easier for students to attend universities in neighbouring countries. This builds on the successes of the mobility package adopted last year.

And it will open up new career paths and jobs, especially to younger generations.

It will bring people in the region closer together.

Eight years ago, we established the Regional Youth Cooperation Office, which brings thousands of young people from the region into contact with each other every year.

Young people from Serbia travel to Bosnia and Herzegovina to visit memorial sites in Srebrenica.

Young men and women from Kosovo travel to Serbia, and students from Tirana travel to Skopje, to talk about their shared experiences and the wounds of the past.

And we all know that these wounds are still present today. That is why we need to find ways to heal them, so that we can build a shared future.

A future based on the values of the European Union – on human rights, democracy and the rule of law.

I want to be quite clear: It will become difficult for us to continue with the accession process if we see politicians pushing back against these values.

If we see push backs against the rule of law.

If we see attacks on members of NATO-led missions in the region.

Or if we see high-ranking government officials maintaining close ties to Vladimir Putin.

Instead of divisive actions, we should focus on what unites us as neighbours, what unites us as Europeans.

The chance to create more security and more prosperity in all our countries.

Ladies and gentlemen,

We have a historic opportunity.

The opportunity for a shared future in the European Union.

One element that is crucial to realising this is stronger cooperation and integration within the Western Balkans – as equal partners in the Berlin process.

Let us seize this opportunity.

And let’s also use today's meeting to focus on what we still need to overcome to truly take advantage of this opportunity in two weeks.

By focusing on what unites us: a common future in peace, a common European future.

So that later generations do not have to wait another 20 years to become a member of the European Union.