site.btaEU Highlights Importance of Implementation of Skopje's Agreements with Sofia and Athens

The participants in the EU-Western Balkans Summit, held in Brussels on Wednesday, adopted a declaration which, among other things, states that "inclusive regional cooperation, reconciliation and good neighbourly relations remain key to building a shared future as well as implementing international agreements in good faith and with tangible results, including the Prespa Agreement with Greece and the Treaty on Friendship, Good Neighbourliness and Cooperation with Bulgaria."

The summit was attended by heads of state and government of the EU member states and of Western Balkan countries. Serbia was not represented at the event.

The declaration says: "Decisive further efforts are still required to foster reconciliation and regional stability, as well as to find and to implement definitive, inclusive and binding solutions to partners’ regional and bilateral disputes and issues rooted in the legacy of the past, in line with international law and established principles, including the Agreement on Succession Issues, and the remaining cases of missing persons and war crimes issues."

The leaders of the EU and of its Member States, in consultation with their Western Balkans partners, concluded:

"Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and rising geopolitical challenges underscore the need for ever-stronger ties between the EU and the Western Balkans. The Summit is the most significant occasion in the year to reconfirm the strategic partnership between the European Union and the Western Balkans.

"We reaffirm our full and unequivocal commitment to the European Union membership perspective of the Western Balkans. The future of the Western Balkans is in our Union. Enlargement is a realistic possibility, which should be seized."

The leaders reiterated their support for a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine, based on the UN Charter and international law.

Noting that alignment with the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy remains a strong expression of a partner’s strategic choice, the declaration says: "We commend those Western Balkans partners that are already fully aligned and urge those who have not yet done so to follow suit."

The press conference planned to take place after the summit was called off, but European Council President Antonio Costa said in a statement that good progress has been made over the past 12 months on the Western Balkans' path to the EU.

"[R]egarding North Macedonia, we welcome the steps to boost regional connectivity. And we hope for real progress in 2026. Their authorities know what they need to do," Costa said.

He recognized Montenegro's accelerated advancement along the path to the EU and noted that Albania has managed to open all negotiating clusters in a very short time.

"[A]lso this year, Bosnia and Herzegovina adopted their Reform Agenda, a necessary step to access the Growth Plan," Costa said. He welcomed the steps taken by Kosovo to build trust between communities. The upcoming parliamentary elections in Kosovo "can be a crucial moment for consolidating the reforms and engaging constructively in the European accession path," he added.

The European Council President went on to state:

"Let’s be clear, beyond the technicalities of the process, there is a fundamental political choice to make: a choice between staying trapped in the past, or moving forward towards a joint future in the European Union, a choice between division or reconciliation and cooperation, which are the very pillars of the European Union.

"Only by overcoming the past can the Western Balkans fully assume their role as future EU members, and contribute to a stable, prosperous, and united Europe. The road ahead will not be easy. Some reforms will be difficult, but they are worth it. And I believe that our partners are committed to delivering.

"We must keep this momentum. For this, we will support our partners every step of the way. Enlargement is a deeply transformational process. Socioeconomic convergence will anchor their future in the European Union. The EU is—and will remain—the Western Balkans’ most reliable partner. They are all part of the European family, and the European Union is their place."