Message from the Summit in Tirana: The EU is determined to support the Western Balkans and the European values and principles

After today's EU-Western Balkans Summit in Tirana, the leaders of the EU and the Western Balkans issued a joint statement containing 33 points on what they say is a common future, Albanian Post reports.

The joint statement points out that the peace and security of the whole of Europe is endangered by the attack on Ukraine and adds that the perspective of the Western Balkans membership is in the European Union, with an emphasis on the acceleration of the membership process, for all countries.

"For this reason, the European Union is determined to support the Balkan countries, to support essential European values and principles. The important point remains the harmonization of the foreign policy of all countries, which guarantees the security of the union, until full membership of the region," the statement reads.

It added that the Western Balkan region would be supported in several sectors, including trade, in order to raise the regional standard.

However, as explained in point six, EU integration must be gradual and supported by continuous reforms, especially in the area of the rule of law.

Regional cooperation between countries is another major point of interest, where, as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says, regional initiatives such as "Open Balkans" are welcome, as long as they are in line with the obligations of European countries, according to Albania Post.

The ninth point is related to the dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade, which, with the mediation of the European side, should result in a complete and comprehensive agreement.

It is also stated that the concept of the European political community, which was promoted on October 6 in Prague, will be continued as a process.

The energy package, with grants worth up to 2.5 billion Euros of investments, would help the Western Balkans to cope with the crisis, so additional help is expected in that sector as well.

The Green Agenda will apply to all countries, along with the implementation of the Paris Agreement, as a plan for climate change.

The European grand plan includes, among other things, a special preparedness mechanism for the food safety crisis, according to the statement.

It is also added that there will be an increase in cooperation in areas of interest to both sides, which will culminate in the full integration of the Western Balkans into the common market of the European Union.

There will also be an additional incentive for study exchange programs, such as Erasmus Plus, which are seen as a way to connect more countries.

In the field of telecommunications, the reduction of roaming fees is foreseen, until their complete abolition in 2027.

It is also stated that the security challenges faced by the countries are extremely important, and that further cooperation will be needed on essential security and defense issues.

First of all, what is related to "manipulation and mixing of foreign information, in the form of disinformation".

The last points, five of them, proposed by the European Commission, refer to issues of migration and the harmonization of visa policy, cooperation against terrorism, and the prevention of illegal human trafficking.

In this spirit, all countries in coordination - 33 of them - in 33 points, summarized the historic summit held for the first time in Tirana.