Von Der Leyen: EU Integration of Western Balkans a Top Priority

Key Takeaways

1. The integration of Western Balkan countries into the EU is a top priority for the bloc.
2. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen emphasized at the Berlin Summit that the EU envisions a future where all six Western Balkan nations are members.
3. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz reaffirmed that the EU is incomplete without the inclusion of the Western Balkans.

At the Berlin Process Summit, Ursula von der Leyen highlighted that expanding the EU to include the Western Balkans strengthens the Union. She stated, "When we look toward the future, we see all six Western Balkan partners as part of the European Union."

Scholz: EU Must Include the Western Balkans to Be Complete

Initiated in 2014, the Berlin Process aims to deepen ties between the EU and Western Balkan countries that aspire to join the bloc. At the 10th annual summit, Chancellor Olaf Scholz expressed hope that the Western Balkan countries—Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia—will become EU members sooner rather than later. He stressed that substantial progress has already been made to improve the lives of people in the region.

Scholz remarked, "The European Union is only complete with the Western Balkans as part of it."

Western Balkans' Future Lies in the EU

After the summit, Montenegro's Deputy Prime Minister for Foreign and European Affairs, Filip Ivanović, echoed these sentiments, affirming that the Western Balkans' future is within the EU. Ivanović noted that over 80% of Montenegrins support EU accession, with Montenegro on track to become a member by 2028.

Albania is also moving toward EU membership, aiming to join by 2030 after submitting its application in 2009 and achieving candidate status in 2014. North Macedonia, which applied for membership in 2004, began accession talks alongside Albania in 2022, although their EU membership journeys will now proceed separately.

Bosnia and Herzegovina, which applied for EU membership in 2016, is another candidate country. Kosovo, the most recent applicant, submitted its bid for membership in December 2022.

The EU remains committed to enlarging its membership to include the Western Balkans, with both political leaders and citizens of the region increasingly supportive of the move.