Belgium, (Brussels Morning Newspaper) EU representatives are to discuss plans to strengthen ties with the Western Balkans at the summit in Tirana on Tuesday.
The move comes amid rising concerns that the conflict in Ukraine may reshape geopolitics in Europe, according to AP reporting on Tuesday.
EU leaders want to assure their counterparts from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia that the countries have a future in the bloc.
Josep Borrell, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, has been stressing the importance of enlargement in the Western Balkans since the war in Ukraine broke out, pointing out that the bloc needs to step up cooperation with countries in the region to maintain security in Europe.
“In the Western Balkans, several crises are looming, and partners feel the immediate damaging impact of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine,” Borrell stated in November and added, “the shockwaves of this war are hitting the Western Balkans.”
He noted that expansion to the Western Balkans is the EU’s “closest and most important geostrategic priority,” which is why the bloc is stepping up engagement in the region.
In a draft declaration to be adopted in Tirana, the bloc will declare “full and unequivocal commitment to the EU membership perspective of the Western Balkans” and call for speeding up accession negotiations with aspiring members.
Friction with Serbia
The EU wants countries in the region to align their foreign policies with those of the bloc, which has increased tensions with Serbia as Belgrade has not severed its ties with Moscow.
While Serbia condemned Russia’s aggression at the UN, the country has not adopted Western sanctions against Moscow.
The EU started accession talks with Albania and North Macedonia this summer, after years of delays, and the EC called on bloc members in October to grant BiH candidate status.
Kosovo has signed the Stabilisation and Association Agreement with the EU, which is the first step towards bloc membership, and has announced plans to apply for candidate status by the end of the year.
The EC previously announced plans to provide financial support to Western Balkan countries to help the region cope with rising prices and shortages.
