President of the Economic Chamber, Branko Azeski, held a working meeting at the Chamber’s premises with Lord Christopher Geidt (Secretary/Chief Political Adviser to Queen Elizabeth II, 2007–2017), George Busby, and Reuben Johnson—all three current directors of the non-profit foundation “Western Balkans 30: For A United, Secure and Prosperous Europe” (WB30). Representing the Chamber at the meeting were Vice President Prof. Dr. Marjan Bojadjiev, Executive Director Antoni Peshev, MBA, Daniela Mihajlovska-Vasilevska (Advisor on Export Activities in the Office of the Chamber President), Dr. Tatjana Shterjova-Dushkovska (Operations Director in the Organizational Unit for Development, Innovation, and Knowledge), and Daniel Matrakoski, Chamber Expert.

The non-profit foundation WB30, registered in The Hague, advocates for the accession of all Western Balkan (WB) countries to the European Union by 2030. In Skopje, the three directors of the foundation—each with more than three decades of experience with the Balkans—met with President Branko Azeski of the region’s oldest and most influential business association to present their vision for the region's EU integration by 2030. WB30 believes that the long-standing exclusion of Western Balkan countries from the EU creates insecurity and instability, hindering economic growth across the continent and leaving Europe divided and unable to achieve its full potential.

In September 2025, WB30 will formally launch operations in Brussels. During the intervening period, it will appoint an advisory board and a chairman, made up of prominent former statesmen with experience in or close ties to the Balkan region over the past four decades.

WB30 will generate reports and activities to support its key contentions, giving prominence to the case for urgent action. It will host and participate in conferences and events to present its arguments. 

According to the foundation, WB30” has already received initial expressions of support from the Atlantic Council, GLOBSEC, Carl Bildt, and Lord George Robertson. Additional outreach for support will continue throughout the summer of 2025.

In the discussions, President Azeski expressed the Chamber’s and the business community’s willingness to support the initiative, noting that Macedonian economy—and the region as a whole—harbors aspirations for EU membership. Only through such a process can the Chamber's key priorities be fulfilled: building an education system aligned with business needs; providing concrete export support through direct instruments and state-backed measures; and enhancing regional cooperation as a foundation for accelerating EU integration processes.

Christopher Geidt

Christopher served in former Yugoslavia in military and diplomatic capacities – for the UK, the EU and the UN - for nearly a decade from 1992. He worked successively for the International Conference on former Yugoslavia, the co-chairman of the Dayton Peace Conference, the Office of the High Representative in Sarajevo and the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for the Balkans. Formerly at the Royal United Services Institute for Defence Studies in London, he went on to become a long-serving chief adviser to Queen Elizabeth II, a member of the UK Parliament and chairman of businesses and charitable trusts.

George Busby

George studied Serbo-Croatian at London University and gained a Diploma in Eastern European economics from Oxford University. He also studied at Sarajevo University in 1981. In 1987 he joined the UK’s foreign ministry and from 1992-96 served in the British Embassy in Belgrade. From 1996-2000 he was head of the Balkans Department. After retiring from the foreign ministry in 2015 he founded Burstock Ltd, a consultancy, with General Sir Barney White-Spunner, a former head of the British field army and commander of NATO forces in Macedonia.

Reuben Johnson

Reuben Johnson serves as a Project Coordinator specializing in cyber, education, and defense initiatives at Burstock, as well as working as an OSINT Researcher. He excels in research, due diligence, and open-source intelligence analysis, particularly in the realm of political risk and conflict data. Reuben is proficient in project management and skilled at synthesizing complex information. With extensive experience in high-pressure environments that require advanced analytical capabilities, Reuben consistently showcases his aptitude for navigating intricate geopolitical landscapes. His expertise allows him to effectively evaluate and interpret data, offering valuable insights that support strategic decision-making.

WB30 believes that the backing of commerce in the Western Balkans will be a powerful demonstration of support for WB30’s ideas, promoting the case for dynamic, mutual economic growth across existing borders.