The heads of state and government of the European Union and the Western Balkans met in Brussels on Wednesday 17 December for a summit followed by a dinner to underline the importance of increased cooperation between the two regions, particularly in view of the current geopolitical context and the future prospects of enlargement.
Although this last subject was not officially on the agenda - it mentioned discussions on cooperation in migration management, defence and the growth plans of the Balkan countries - the leaders did not fail to mention it on their arrival.
The President of Montenegro, Jakov Milatovic, whose country is furthest along the road to accession (see EUROPE 13774/30), said that he “hoped to see the Cypriot Presidency of the EU Council begin preparations for drafting the accession treaty” for his country. Cyprus will take over the Presidency of the Council of the EU for six months at the beginning of January.
With regard to the least advanced countries on the road to accession, Vjosa Osmani, President of Kosovo, made a thinly veiled criticism of the EU, which she accused of “not doing what was necessary” to give concrete recognition to the efforts made by her country. Kosovo is still blocked in its process, with several EU Member States not recognising it as an independent state.
For this leader, the enlargement of the Union now goes beyond simply reuniting the European family. This is a strategic imperative: “The sooner the countries of the Western Balkans join the EU, the sooner Russia will lose out”, she asserted. She also criticised the attitude of the Serbian President, Aleksandar Vučić, who was absent from the summit and whose cordial relations with Moscow are a source of irritation (see EUROPE 13771/23) : “As long as Serbia does not align itself with the values and requirements of the EU, it will be detrimental to the European project”, said Vjosa Osmani.
Criticised but not yet isolated, the Serbian leader can count on the support of Hungary and its Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán, whose complacency towards Moscow has become a real thorn in the side of the EU27 since the start of the war in Ukraine.
“The whole enlargement process has been a total failure. Serbia is a key country in Europe’s defence against migration, and the treatment and behaviour towards it is unacceptable”, Viktor Orbán said before the start of the summit.
The joint declaration, published at the end of the summit and adopted by all the participants, underlines the “geostrategic investment in peace, security, stability and prosperity” that enlargement represents.
With a critical reference to Serbia, the declaration calls for “alignment with the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), including the implementation and enforcing of the EU’s restrictive measures” and urges “those who have not yet done so to follow suit”.
The next EU-Western Balkans Summit will be held in Montenegro in June 2026.
To see the declaration: https://aeur.eu/f/k2d (Original version in French by Isalia Stieffatre)