Tajani in Bratislava for the “Friends of the Western Balkans” Ministerial Meeting

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani is in Bratislava tomorrow for the Ministerial Meeting of the group of "Friends of the Western Balkans" and the Foreign Ministers of the Western Balkans. The group includes seven EU Member States (Italy, Austria, Croatia, Greece, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Slovenia) that are cooperating to support the accession of the six Balkan countries that are candidate or potential candidate countries for EU membership: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Kosovo, and Serbia. The meeting will aim to continue the discussion on how to accelerate the EU enlargement process to the Western Balkans, stimulating operational proposals regarding regional cooperation, gradual integration of the region, and strengthening of security cooperation with the European Union.

Minister Tajani will reaffirm the Italian Government's continued commitment to supporting the European perspective of the Western Balkans and to keeping regional dynamics and the accession process of the six countries at the top of the political agenda. Minister Tajani will also reaffirm Italy's support for gradual integration and regional cooperation initiatives, highlighting the role of the CEI and the upcoming Italian Presidency of the EU Strategy for the Adriatic-Ionian Region (EUSAIR) (May 2026-May 2027). The Foreign Minister will emphasize the region's importance for ensuring European security, recalling Italy's commitment to NATO and EU missions such as KFOR, EUFOR Althea, and EULEX (the latter two currently under Italian command), and the relevance of infrastructure projects such as Corridor VIII, which are significant both economically and in terms of defence and military mobility.