Optimism after the summit, Scholz: Skepticism has been left behind, it is moving in the right direction

22:05 06/12/2022

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was enthusiastic about the prospect of membership of the Western Balkan countries compared to a few years ago, before the Russian aggression against Ukraine.

“First of all, I want to thank the host, the Prime Minister of Albania, Edi Rama. This was a really important summit of the European Union with the countries of the Western Balkans. Let’s not forget that it has been almost 20 years since we decided together in Thessaloniki for these countries to become members of the European Union, but we are not where we imagined at that time. I am quite sure that a new inclusive movement has been born. The skepticism that was formulated a few years ago by some EU member states has now changed, which proves a willingness to push the enlargement process actively forward. said Scholz.

Sholz says that the skepticism of years ago has been put aside.

I think this was a good meeting, an important historical moment for the region itself, a great sign of hope and certainly something that builds on all the progress we have made in the meantime, which remains difficult, but necessary. I just want to remind you of the talks that have already started with North Macedonia or Albania. We pushed that process forward because it took too long“, he said.

Macron, Sholtz and Rutte met in the Albanian capital Tirana for a summit aimed at securing a better future for the region amid fears of growing Russian and Chinese influence. The Dutch Prime Minister stated that the enlargement process takes time, but it is moving in the right direction. The Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, has also given special support.

“I am very satisfied with the Tirana summit. You know how important the Western Balkans are for Italy from the historical point of view of cooperation over the years with those countries. Foreign Minister Tajani is playing an important role especially in the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia. I spoke with the Serbian president and the Albanian prime minister about regional cooperation issues. The Western Balkans is also an issue for the security of the European Union. I have not seen any major objections to the integration of Albania in the EU. The integration of the Western Balkans is a strategic issue”, she said.

In the Tirana meeting, among other things, the facilitation of visas, concrete further steps by individual countries for membership, student exchange and the reduction of roaming fees were discussed.

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