BRUSSELS – The annual EU-Western Balkans Summit started in Brussels on Wednesday afternoon, with the participation of six regional leaders and 27 EU heads of state and government. The Summit is taking place after the Council of the EU adopted conclusions on enlargement yesterday, and ahead of the high-level meeting of the European Council on Thursday.
In his doorstep remarks to the media, the new President of the European Council António Costa said that this summit is very important for three main reasons.
“The first is that we belong to the same European family; we share the continent, but most of all we share common values and a common history. Secondly, for all of us, the enlargement is a priority. We are already committed to enlargement and we believe that the enlargement is the most important investment in peace and security. And finally, because we are leading a gradual integration of the Western Balkan countries and anticipating the benefits for their citizens”, he said.
He mentioned the visa-free, extended roaming, and faster means of payment as examples of these concrete benefits.
“And of course, the Growth Plan is a game-changer which can transform the Western Balkans over this decade”, Costa said.
Addressing the media before the EU-Western Balkans summit, Kaja Kallas, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, said that “the region is extremely important for the EU”. She added that the Growth Plan “is a very good piece of legislation”.
“Today we are going to sign the security and defence agreement with Albania, which we have already signed with North Macedonia… There is a lot of room for cooperation. We really want to see the advancement in the enlargement process during the next five years”, Kaja Kallas stressed.
Jakov Milatović, President of Montenegro, said in his doorstep remarks that the fact that the summit is organised shortly after the new institutions of the EU are formed is an important signal.
“Montenegro is a forerunner in the EU integration. We have set the goal to become the 28th EU member state by 2028. It is an ambitious but still reachable aim”, Milatović remarked.
According to Milatović, the EU membership of Montenegro would send ” a clear strong message that the enlargement is still alive, that the political and economic reforms pay off”.
“We do believe that the future of the entire Western Balkans region is in the EU”, he underlined.
The summit is chaired by António Costa, for the first time in his new capacity as the President of the European Council, and co-chaired by European Commission’s President Ursula von der Leyen. The EU is also represented by High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas, as well as by President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola.
When it comes to the leaders of the Western Balkans, the participants of the meeting are Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, Chairwoman of the BiH Presidency Željka Cvijanović, Kosovo’s President Vjosa Osmani, Prime Minister of North Macedonia Hristijan Mickoski and Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić.
The regular EU-Western Balkans summits have been taking place since 2018, with the previous one being organized in December 2023.
EU and Western Balkans leaders are meeting in Brussels tomorrow.
On the agenda:
bringing the Western Balkans closer to the EU
the EU’s political and policy engagement with the Western Balkans
mitigating the impact of Russia’s war of aggression against #EUWesternBalkans— EU Council (@EUCouncil) December 17, 2024
Announcing the summit, the European Council has stated that it will “serve as an opportunity to pursue the new momentum for the strategic partnership between the European Union and the Western Balkans, including a reflection on how to deepen that partnership and move forward together towards a joint future in the European Union”.
The main topics of discussion will be: enhancing the EU-Western Balkans integration through the Growth Plan, deepening the EU’s political and policy engagement with the Western Balkans in multiple areas, including foreign and security policy building an economic foundation for the future and mitigating the impact of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, cooperation in migration management and the fight against corruption and organised crime.
“The EU remains the region’s closest partner, its main investor and trading partner and its main donor. The EU will continue to support its Western Balkan partners in helping to mitigate the impact that Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine is having on their economies, societies and security”, the European Council states.