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The initiative was presented by the Slovenian and Croatian presidents, Borut Pahor and Ivo Josipović, and taken up by their counterparts from Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia.

The first presidential-level conference will be held on 25 July at Slovenia's Brdo pri Kranju, the place for which the initiative is named, and French President Francois Hollande is expected to attend, Pahor told the press today.

"Winning French support to continue the [EU] enlargement process after Croatia's EU entry...is of extraordinary importance for all, Slovenia included," he said, noting that the initiative enjoyed the support of the EU as well as the member states.

Pahor said the decision to continue the Brdo Process was informed by the realization that there are many open issues in the region whereas the EU remains focused more on the economy than on enlargement policy.

Josipović said the Brdo Process would continue in the form of informal meetings once every year or every two years, to which high representatives of the EU and member states would be invited.

He said the focus would be on Croatia and Slovenia helping other countries in the region, with other topics including cooperation on regional projects and the "resolution of open issues which burden the region."

Pahor and Josipović had agreed to revive the Brdo Process when they met in Zagreb in early May.