Focus on Closer Cooperation and EU Enlargement: C5 Foreign Ministers Meet in Ljubljana

PeopleDiplomats ♦ Published: March 26, 2024; 23:10 ♦ (Vindobona)

The foreign ministers of the so-called Central 5 Group (C5) - consisting of Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Hungary, and Slovakia - met in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, for a landmark meeting. This meeting marks another significant step in Central European diplomatic cooperation, which goes beyond mere neighborly assistance and focuses on the region's key challenges and opportunities.

Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg attended the Central-5 (C5) meeting in Ljubljana. / Picture: © BMEIA Bundesministerium für Europa, Integration und Äußeres / Michael Gruber / Flickr Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)

The host of the meeting, Slovenian Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon, emphasized the importance of the C5 format as a platform for the exchange of common interests and challenges. The discussions covered a wide range of topics, with a particular focus on EU enlargement, especially concerning the Western Balkans.

Austria's Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg emphasized the…