Italy and the Western Balkans – A strategic choice for Europe

Written by Antonio Tajani, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Italy, for Politika

The political strength of our continent in the decades ahead will depend on the accession of the Western Balkan countries to the European Union. This is the most important geostrategic investment of our time because security, competitiveness and enlargement have become inseparable. Without completing the reunification of Europe, the European Union will never achieve the scale necessary to compete in today's world.

The Balkans are an integral part of Europe's history, geography and political future. Italy has made the region one of the cornerstones of its foreign policy. As an Adriatic and Mediterranean country, we know that the security of our seas also depends on the stability of the region.

For this reason, we strongly support accelerating the region's path towards the European Union, with the aim of reuniting the European family and expanding the space for peace and new opportunities.
Italy's commitment is reflected in its extensive diplomatic presence and sustained political dialogue. Since 2022, more than one hundred high-level visits, bilateral meetings and multilateral initiatives have accompanied the reform efforts of the candidate countries and provided tangible support for their progress towards EU membership.

In this context, Italy promotes the informal Friends of the Western Balkans group, which brings together EU member states most committed to maintaining the Union's focus on the region.

The meeting we are hosting today in Rome, with the foreign ministers of the Western Balkans, reaffirms Italy's strong political commitment to injecting fresh momentum into the region's European integration process.

EU accession requires substantial reforms: strengthening the rule of law, improving the efficiency of public administration, advancing digitalisation and enhancing the quality of institutions. Italy supports these efforts through practical operational instruments.

We are a leading contributor to administrative twinning and short-term technical assistance programmes (Twinning and TAIEX), which lie at the heart of the accession process by transferring expertise, experience and institutional capacity to candidate countries.

In the Western Balkans, Italy ranks first among EU member states in the number of experts engaged in these programmes. We believe that the European integration process should deliver concrete and visible benefits to citizens and businesses even before accession, thereby strengthening confidence in the European project. That is why we consider it short-sighted to delay the accession process for countries such as Serbia, which has already made considerable progress in many key areas.
Investing in the growth of the Balkans means investing in the strength of Europe.

Italy is also one of the region's principal economic partners through the presence of numerous Italian companies. Bilateral trade exceeds €10 billion, while around eight hundred Italian companies operate across the region, contributing to local economic growth, skilled employment, industrial modernisation, and the green and digital transitions. Through development cooperation, we are active in key sectors ranging from healthcare and infrastructure to energy and vocational training.

Connectivity is equally important. The Balkans form the bridge between the Adriatic, the Eastern Mediterranean and Central Europe. For that reason, we support the development of major transport corridors, beginning with Corridor VIII, which will connect the Adriatic Sea with the Black Sea, as well as the strengthening of rail, port, energy and digital networks. It is from this perspective that we also view the India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), on which we are cooperating with partners such as India and the Gulf states.

Thanks to its geographical position, Italy can establish itself as Europe's gateway for these new trade routes, making the Balkans the natural bridge to Central Europe and the wider Eurasian transport corridors. Connectivity is inseparable from our continent's strategic autonomy, the resilience of supply chains and food security. For this reason, we also invited Maurizio Martina, Deputy Director-General of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), to today's meeting.

European integration, economic development and enhanced connectivity all require a stable security environment. Italy has also assumed a leading role in this field. We have commanded the KFOR mission in Kosovo fourteen times, the EULEX mission twice, and the EUFOR Althea mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina three times, contributing both civilian and military resources to regional stability and to the implementation of the Dayton Peace Agreement.

The integration of the Western Balkans is a geopolitical choice for Europe. The region's full integration into the European Union will consolidate the Union's south-eastern flank, strengthen its stability and enhance its global influence.

Italy will continue working to ensure that the European path of the Western Balkans remains credible and merit-based, while also becoming faster, more predictable and more responsive to the needs of citizens. For our continent, this is above all a matter of historical consistency—and, equally, a strategic necessity.