Eduardo González
Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares will participate this Monday in Brussels in a new meeting with his European Union counterparts, where they will discuss, among other issues, the EU’s relationship with the Western Balkans, the war in Ukraine, and the situation in the Middle East in light of recent developments regarding the Iran War and its consequences for the region.
The Foreign Affairs Council (FAC), chaired by the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, will begin its session with a debate on the European Union’s relationship with the Western Balkans. Before the exchange of views, the ministers will participate in an informal breakfast with the six Western Balkan partners.
On December 17, the Summit between the European Union and the Western Balkans, which addressed progress in the accession process and regional cooperation, concluded with a Brussels Declaration. In it, the parties reaffirmed the region’s commitment to European values and principles, including democracy, fundamental rights, and the rule of law, and urged the Balkan countries to continue their reform efforts and improve regional relations. The declaration emphasized the importance of inclusive cooperation and the normalization of relations, particularly between Kosovo and Serbia, whose integration process remains a significant obstacle.
The declaration also underscored the need to advance the economic integration of the Western Balkans, expressed support for the region’s energy transition, and stressed the importance of diversifying energy sources and reducing dependencies. The next EU-Western Balkans summit will be held in Montenegro in June 2026.
During the meeting, European Council President António Costa emphasized the importance of EU enlargement, which he described as “a merit-based process” moving faster than at any time in the last 15 years, and welcomed the progress made in building trust between the Serbian and Albanian communities in Kosovo.
For her part, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stressed the importance of enlargement in the current geopolitical context and insisted that the accession of the Western Balkans is key to European peace and security. She also praised the progress made by Albania and Montenegro, which “are a source of inspiration for other partners in the region,” and highlighted the importance of the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, which, with an investment of €6 billion, is enabling the Western Balkans to be “more integrated with the EU than any previous partner.”
Marta Kos
The Brussels debate comes days after the visit to Spain of the European Commissioner for Enlargement, Slovenian Marta Kos, who was received last Tuesday in Madrid by the Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, and by José Manuel Albares himself, both within the framework of the commemorative events for the fortieth anniversary of Spain’s accession to the European Union.
During both meetings, Sánchez highlighted the progress made by Montenegro and Albania in their accession process to the EU, and Albares expressed Spain’s commitment to the accession of the Western Balkans, “recognizing the progress being made by Montenegro and Albania.”
Kos herself participated the previous day in the event “A Review of 40 Years of Spain’s Membership in the European Union and Challenges for Europe Today,” organized by Prestomedia and the European Commission’s office in Spain at the Club Financiero Génova in Madrid.
During the event, in which she discussed the progress and remaining challenges in the accession process of future members with the ambassadors in Spain of the candidate countries, the European Commissioner stated that, “in the last year and a half, more progress has been made in the enlargement process than in the previous fifteen years” thanks “to the progress of four countries—Montenegro, Albania, Ukraine, and Moldova—which have shown a strong determination to achieve it correctly and quickly.”
She also expressed her desire to “move forward with accession negotiations with North Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina as soon as possible” and showed her support for Serbia on its path to the European Union, urging the authorities in Belgrade to “review the laws affecting judicial independence and to restore media independence” and to continue “making progress with Kosovo.”
Other topics
Separately, the EU foreign ministers will also discuss Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, following an informal exchange of views with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, and will address the situation in the Middle East in light of recent developments regarding the Iran conflict and its consequences for the region.
After lunch, the EU foreign ministers will exchange views informally with Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand. Furthermore, at the close of the May Foreign Affairs Council session, Kaja Kallas and Marta Kos, on behalf of the EU, along with Andrii Sybiha and Anita Anand, will co-chair the high-level meeting of the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children, which will begin at 5:00 p.m. Next, High Representative Kaja Kallas will also chair the first high-level political dialogue between the EU and Syria, to which EU foreign ministers are invited to discuss the best ways to support the transition in the country.
