EU Summit highlights Western Balkans’ path to integration

The leaders of the European Union and the Western Balkans convened on December 18 in Brussels. The summit focused on urging countries in the region to resolve longstanding disputes, both among themselves and with EU neighbors, as a prerequisite for accelerating the enlargement process.

Context: The Western Balkans’ progress toward EU membership has long been hindered by regional and bilateral disagreements rooted in historical grievances. These disputes have slowed efforts to secure a unified focus on the region’s EU future.

Summit’s call to action: The final declaration of the summit emphasized the importance of implementing bilateral agreements “in good faith and with tangible results.” Specific agreements highlighted include:

• North Macedonia’s Prespa Agreement with Greece
• The Treaty of Friendship, Good Neighborhood, and Cooperation Agreement with Bulgaria

Particular attention was placed on Kosovo and Serbia, with a call to advance the normalization of relations through the implementation of obligations agreed upon in the EU-facilitated dialogue.

“The agreements reached within the framework of the EU-facilitated dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, including the Agreement on the Path to Normalization, must be implemented without further delay,” the summit’s statement read. It also called on all partners to guarantee the rights and equal treatment of minorities.

Tensions between Kosovo and the EU: Ahead of the summit, Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani criticized the EU for its perceived lack of fairness towards Kosovo. She expressed dissatisfaction over the EU’s reluctance to lift measures against Kosovo and its hesitation to consider the country’s application for membership.

EU leadership’s position: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen responded to the concerns, stating: “We are ready to start the process, but we need an invitation to come up with a position. We are working to get this and we are ready. The same applies to the measures. We are absolutely ready to lift the measures, but here too we need the consent of the member states, which we do not have now, but we are working hard to get it because, in any case, it is important that Kosovo also moves forward.”