In an editorial published by the press office of the Italian Embassy, Bucci said that Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified aggression against Ukraine is rapidly changing the geopolitical landscape in Europe.

“This conflict has severe repercussions particularly for the Western Balkans, whose stability is being eroded away, at a time when this region is facing other challenges. Currently, third parties are stepping up efforts to increase their clout in the region and, possibly, to destabilize the Western Balkan countries. They are actively undermining our credibility, persevering with the idea that the European Union does not want the countries of the Western Balkans to join the Union as full members. These actors see the war in Ukraine as an opportunity to further increase their influence and presence in the Western Balkans, to the detriment of the EU and its member states.”
The ambassador stressed that “now that the EU welcomes legitimate requests from Kiev, Chisinau and Tbilisi, the governments of the Western Balkans are also looking forward to seeing a renewed commitment to accelerate their countries’ accession process, a process that has started years ago but is at a standstill.

Bucci recalled that almost a year ago, Italy and 12 other member states agreed on a number of important messages demanding the continuation of the process.

“We called for stronger political action and maximum use of the package of tools made available by the enhanced enlargement methodology, defining the full membership of the Western Balkan countries in the EU, a ‘geostrategic investment.’ In the context of the current crisis, our key messages are as much important today, perhaps even more so, compared to a year ago. As Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi recently stated in the European Parliament that the full integration of countries with European aspirations does not pose a threat to the stability of the European project; on the contrary, it contributes to implementation of that project, ” he said.

Bucci said that “Italy strongly supports the immediate opening of accession negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia, in accordance with the decision of the European Council of March 2020.”
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In a media statement from Shkodra, ambassador Bucci pointed out that Italy has been and will be close to Albania, adding that Italy strongly believes that accession negotiations with Albania will start within this year.

“For us as Italy, the fact that we could not open the negotiations was a disappointment. Italy has always been close to Albania, from the very beginning. We have supported your country’s integration into the European Union,” Bucci said.

“I believe that we are ready and we should not give up, because it is no longer a question of whether Albania will join the union, but when it will join the union, this is the most important thing,” he said.

“We will continue to work, because we believe that negotiations will open within this year. Albania has completed the assignments given over the past years. It is a problem and duty of the European Union, no longer of Albania, ” said the Italian ambassador.

Whether Albania should be separated from North Macedonia in this process, Bucci said that, “I believe that the most important thing is to move forward and open accession negotiations with Albania. This is our priority. We cannot always wait for problems to be solved, because there will always be problems. We must move forward, there is no room for excuses. The EU must send a strong signal. We must open accession negotiations with Albania. ”

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