Prenkaj: Shift in US focus creates need for enhanced cooperation among EU countries

Diplomat Albert Prenkaj stated that recently, due to the need for greater European independence from the United States, a new coalition of six of the strongest European economies has emerged which, according to him, often functions without the need for full consensus of all 27 European Union member states, which could accelerate the European integration of Western Balkan countries.

Prenkaj noted that the shift in US focus creates a need for enhanced cooperation among European Union countries, particularly in the fields of security and defense.

“The announcement that the US is increasingly focusing on the Pacific, expanding communication with Russia on pressing issues such as Ukraine, Greenland, Gaza, Iran, as well as the issue of tariffs, is clearly pressure on the EU and its member states to take the necessary measures that would, if not make them independent, then enable them to function autonomously. While the traditional Franco-German engine of Europe is stagnating, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz increasingly wants to join forces with far-right Italian Prime Minister Meloni as his co-pilot in steering the EU. Prior to the above-mentioned agreement, a treaty was signed between France and Italy, which, among other things, focuses on defense and security. It was signed in 2021 and entered into force in 2023, and was modeled after the Franco-German Elysee Treaty,” he said.

In order to accelerate key decision-making aimed at addressing geopolitical challenges, Prenkaj pointed to a new coalition of the largest economies, including Germany, Italy, France, Spain, the Netherlands, and Poland.

“From January 2026, a new coalition of six major European economies - Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Poland, and the Netherlands - is emerging in order to accelerate decision-making in the areas of defense, economy, and security, creating a ‘two-speed Europe’ to confront slow growth and geopolitical challenges. This initiative aims to strengthen competitiveness and defense capacities, often acting without the need for full consensus of all 27 EU member states,” he said.

He emphasized that this could accelerate the integration of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, North Macedonia, and Kosovo.

“I believe that this initiative could further accelerate the integration of the remaining countries of our region, since Albania and Montenegro are already on a secure traditional path toward integration. In the event of a disagreement of geopolitical interests precisely along the line established by the Yalta Agreement (1945), which extends to our region, it may be viewed as a new buffer zone that would, in terms of security, be guaranteed by NATO. The option of a ‘Balkan Peace Platform’ as an onomastically based strategy of Turkey, as well as the ‘Security and Stability Platform’ of Great Britain aligned with the ‘Regional Common Market’ platform, part of the agreement signed in 2020 at the White House, can in some way be interpreted as a region in which geopolitical interests converge and diverge,” Prenkaj assessed.