“Enlargement has always carried strong opinions and a lot of emotions, a lot of optimism and extreme pessimism at the same time. Above all, success in enlargement requires commitment. It is a geostrategic investment in peace, security, stability and economic growth. The road to the EU as we know it is long and complicated and full of challenges, but for me there is no doubt that the Western Balkans is fully committed to becoming part of the EU and therefore we try our best to make it happen,” said EU Commissioner for Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi. He stressed at the 8th Civil Society Forum in the Western Balkans that the citizens of the region strongly support its full EU integration. “Not only because it is a political priority for the political elites in these countries, it is also a reflection of the opinion of the citizens of the Western Balkans, who strongly support the full integration of the region into the EU,” Varhelyi adds.