European Union leaders on Tuesday sent a message of support to the Balkan countries in the face of the consequences of the war in Ukraine, with backing on practical issues such as energy security or cybersecurity threats, in an attempt to revitalize relations with the region, while calling on the Balkans to align with the bloc’s foreign policy, in particular sanctions against Russia for the invasion of the neighboring country.
«This will be an important meeting, a symbolic meeting: the first time we will hold an EU-Balkans summit here in a country of the region. I am absolutely convinced that the future of our children will be more secure and more prosperous with the Balkans within the EU, and we are working very hard to achieve that,» European Council President Charles Michel said on his arrival.
For his part, the Albanian Prime Minister, Edi Rama, stressed that the meeting in Tirana is a «sign of awareness» that the EU needs the Balkans and the Balkans need the EU, insisting on the joint path of both regions.
The summit in Albania between European and Balkan leaders arrives with the new progress of the accession of countries such as Albania itself or North Macedonia, which began accession talks in July after years of blockage, and is the occasion to give a new sign of support to the region in the face of the consequences of the war in Ukraine, a conflict with resonance in the Balkans, with the intention of being able to accelerate the accession of the region to the bloc.
In statements before the meeting, French President Emmanuel Macron stressed the «concrete European solidarity» with the Balkans to deal with the energy situation and insisted that these agreements contribute to increasing the relationship with the region.
According to the Belgian Prime Minister, Alexander De Croo, there are no «shortcuts» to the process of joining the community club, but he insisted that the Balkan countries have made important progress, so it is not only necessary to talk about the pending reforms, but also to give impetus to maintain the «political momentum» to European integration. «It is an administrative process, but also a political one,» he stressed.
For her part, the Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, highlighted the responsibility of the EU towards the region, «even more so after Russia’s war against Ukraine» and pointed out that it is time to «strengthen» the process of accession of these countries to the bloc. They can count on Italy to work on aspects such as the economy or the response to cyber-attacks, Meloni defended.
«The summit is crucial, we are still suffering from the Russian invasion against Ukraine and we have to stick together on issues such as energy security and ensure that we all apply the sanctions,» said the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte, referring to Belgrade, Moscow’s main partner in the area and the only Balkan country that has not joined the measures adopted by the EU.
On the Lithuanian side, its president, Gitanas Nauseda, insisted that support for sanctions against Russia and adherence to the bloc’s foreign policy is a «precondition» for the Balkan neighbors to join the EU, while the Estonian Prime Minister, Kaja Kallas, focused on working for peace in Europe with the Balkan partners.
For Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin, it is important to have a «common table» to deal with the Balkans on issues such as the war in Ukraine and its consequences for energy security.
TENSION BETWEEN SERBIA AND KOSOVO Upon her arrival at the summit, Kosovar President Vjosa Osmani insisted that the territory has a firm commitment to the EU and its values, making clear its total alignment with the bloc’s foreign policy, in a veiled attack on Serbia. «You have countries that align with the EU and others that align with (Russian President) Vladimir Putin. It should matter whether you align with Ukraine or Russia, whether you apply sanctions. Being on the right side of history should be the least expected of us,» he stressed, to reaffirm that Kosovo will apply for EU membership before the end of 2022.
On the visa exemption for Kosovar citizens, agreed by the EU-27 at the ambassadorial level, Osmani said he hopes that the EU will move from words to deeds and agree on this measure at the summit of European leaders on December 15.
For his part, the Serbian president, Aleksandar Vucic, has declared that he is aware of the obligations with the EU to align with foreign policy measures, such as sanctions, but has insisted that Serbia is an independent country that has its differences due to the «violation of the territorial integrity violated in 2008», in reference to the independence of Kosovo.
In this sense, he responded to the Kosovar president by saying that the criticism of her closeness to Moscow are arguments that she uses because «she has nothing else to say» and that the attacks against Belgrade have been refuted by the actions of the Serbian authorities, as opposed to the accusations that «Serbia would attack other countries in the Balkans».
The meeting between European and Balkan leaders is marked by the tensions between Belgrade and its former province due to the controversial Kosovar law, to impose documents and license plates to the Kosovo Serb communities, and the appointment of a Kosovar Serb minority minister, in the face of this, the EU High Representative for Foreign Policy, Josep Borrell, has asked the parties to commit themselves to dialogue.
«Now they have to commit to the offer I put on the table to Belgrade and Pristina and embark on serious discussions. It is a great opportunity,» urged the head of the European diplomacy who has avoided setting a deadline for finishing the talks on normalization of relations, after a decade of negotiations in Brussels. «We should not set an artificial deadline but start working,» he said.