Prime Minister Edi Rama today highlighted this important development ahead of the European Political Community Summit in Tirana on May 16.

Rama emphasized, “As we have already begun preparations for the major European Political Community Summit in Albania on May 16, the EU and the European Council, along with all EU leaders, have decided to arrive on May 15 for a working dinner with me and the other leaders from our Western Balkans region, ahead of the summit.”

The Prime Minister informed that “on May 15, we will host the leaders of the European Council and all EU leaders, and on May 16, leaders from across the entire continent, with the exception of Russia, will come here.”

“There are 46, from London to Ankara, from Lisbon to Baku, from Oslo to Rome and Tbilisi, and undoubtedly all the others who are part of the EU. This is today’s Albania,” said Rama.

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The summit is part of the implementation of the European Council’s Strategic Agenda 2019-2024, and is considered an opportunity to reaffirm the key importance of the strategic partnership between the EU and the Western Balkans, a region with a clear EU perspective.

According to the official agenda published on the official website of the EU Council, the main topics of discussion will be:
tackling together the consequences the Russian aggression against Ukraine
intensifying political and policy engagement
reinforcing security and building resilience against foreign interference
addressing the challenges posed by migration, the fight against terrorism and organised crime

Leaders are expected to issue a declaration at the end of the summit.

Leaders will discuss cooperation in the face of common challenges stemming from Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.

They will more specifically look at how to tackle its negative effects on energy and food security in the Western Balkans.

The EU and Western Balkans leaders will discuss ways of deepening political and policy engagement, with a particular focus on young people.

They will also take stock of the progress made towards integration of the Western Balkans with the EU internal market on the modernisation of their payments systems in line with the EU standards in the digital area in the implementation of the EU-Western Balkans Green Lanes.
The summit will be an opportunity to discuss coordinated actions on security and defence issues, which have become even more relevant in the context of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.

This includes fighting foreign information manipulation and improving collective cybersecurity.
Leaders will exchange views on jointly addressing migration management as numbers on the Western Balkans migratory route have increased substantially in the past year. This includes alignment on EU visa policy and cooperation on return systems.

They will also discuss how to strengthen collaboration on counter-terrorism and prevention of radicalisation.
The latest summit between EU and Western Balkans leaders was the EU-Western Balkans Summit in Brdo pri Kranju in October 2021. It was hosted by the Slovenian Presidency of the Council.
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