STORY
European Council President António Costa will visit the Western Balkans next week before co-chairing the EU-Western Balkans Summit in Tivat, Montenegro. The tour will take place from 1 to 5 June and is intended to underline the EU’s commitment to enlargement, regional cooperation, security and stability.
Costa is due to visit Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Serbia and Montenegro, meeting national leaders, opposition representatives, students and civil society groups. The summit on 5 June will focus on shared prosperity and stability between the European Union and the Western Balkans.
The trip comes as enlargement policy has returned to the centre of EU politics because of Russia’s war against Ukraine and concerns about influence from Moscow and Beijing in the region. Costa said the visit was intended to send a clear signal that the EU’s commitment to the Western Balkans is real and that the current momentum should be used to deliver progress.