TIRANA, December 18 – The EU-Western Balkans Summit held in Brussels on December 16-17 reaffirmed the strategic partnership between the European Union and the region’s countries. The EU also confirmed its clear commitment to the Western Balkans’ EU accession perspective.

Prime Minister Edi Rama, who attended the summit with regional leaders and senior EU officials, shared moments from the meetings on social media.

During the summit, Rama joined a plenary session on deepening cooperation and advancing the gradual integration of the Western Balkans into the EU. The session addressed the “Roam like at home” initiative and the Regional Growth Plan.

The plenary was chaired by European Council President Antonio Costa and attended by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas, and European Parliament President Roberta Metsola.

PM Rama also held meetings with von der Leyen, Costa, and Kallas to discuss the EU integration process and current geopolitical challenges.

In a joint statement after the summit, the EU confirmed its commitment to the Western Balkans’ EU perspective and described enlargement as a geostrategic investment in peace, security, and stability.

The statement highlighted the need to accelerate merit-based reforms, strengthen the rule of law, democracy, media freedom, and anti-corruption efforts. It emphasized regional cooperation and good-neighbourly relations.

The EU stressed support for gradual integration into the Single Market, implementation of the Growth Plan, and concrete benefits for citizens, including lower roaming costs. It also reaffirmed alignment with EU foreign and security policy, support for Ukraine, and the necessity of normalizing relations between Prishtina and Belgrade as a key factor for the region’s European progress.

/a.p./