Brussels, 4 December 2025 (MIA) - Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport Aleksandar Nikoloski is on a working visit to Brussels, where on Thursday he will take part in the “EU-Western Balkans Summit 2025” organized by the Brussels-based think tank Friends of Europe, and on Friday in the Ministerial Council of the Transport Community.

Nikoloski attended an event late Wednesday organized by Friends of Europe for participants of the “EU-Western Balkans Summit 2025.”

“In Brussels, at an event organized by the influential think tank Friends of Europe, as part of this year’s gathering dedicated to EU enlargement. Fruitful meetings and excellent discussions in Macedonia’s interest,” Deputy PM Nikoloski wrote on Facebook.

At the forum, Nikoloski will speak at the first panel session, titled “Enlargement matters: Europe’s new geopolitical, security and economic frontier,” together with Serbian Parliament Speaker Ana Brnabić, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, Moldovan Deputy Prime Minister Cristina Gherasimov, and former EU Enlargement Commissioner Štefan Füle.

The panel session announcement notes that long seen as a peripheral concern, global fragmentation and competition have placed the Western Balkans at the heart of conversations around the future of European security.

“Amid the Russia-Ukraine War, shifting American priorities and rising regional influence from China and other countries, EU enlargement has taken on new urgency – and complexity. The EU’s turn toward ‘geopolitical enlargement’ marks a potential shift from technocratic to strategic thinking. A stable, democratic and integrated Western Balkan region is essential for the EU’s security and its resilience against external influence. But key questions remain: can the EU prioritise stability over strict conditionality? And can the Western Balkans overcome internal challenges to seize this moment?,” according to the announcement.

According to the organisers key questions include: How is the EU recalibrating its enlargement policy in light of intensifying geopolitical competition, and what does this mean for the Western Balkans’ place in Europe’s broader strategic vision?

Additionally, this raises the question to what extent are external actors, such as Russia and China, reshaping the political and economic dynamics of the region, and what impact does this have on the EU’s commitment to accession?

Other questions also include: Will the convergence of geopolitical risk and strategic opportunity serve as a catalyst for long-awaited progress on EU enlargement in the Western Balkans, or reinforce inertia and entrench the status quo? Can the urgent need for geopolitical stability accelerate accession, or will persistent issues like rule of law, democratic backsliding and regional disputes continue to delay progress?

In addition to this panel, the gathering will also feature the panels “Unlocking investment: driving growth, boosting resilience” and “Justice reform: delivering meaningful change.”

The forum announcement notes that in a moment of geopolitical upheaval – the arrival of a new US administration, parliamentary elections in both Kosovo and Albania, ongoing student protests in Serbia, and more – the process is forcing the EU to rethink its borders, security and good neighbourhood strategy.

“What does the rapidly changing geopolitical situation mean for Balkans accession? How can the region’s economy be boosted by creating favourable conditions for investment? Will transparency, accountability and justice system reforms rise to the challenge? Thinkers and doers from EU and Western Balkans governments, industries and civil society, will engage in a dynamic series of sessions and interactive discussions designed to set out the next steps for the EU accession process,” the announcement adds.

Friends of Europe’s annual EU-Western Balkans Summit regularly brings together over 150 participants in-person, with a few hundred more joining online from across Europe and beyond. The 2025 edition of the summit will be an occasion to debate the way forward for Europe and the region.

On Friday, Nikoloski will participate in the Ministerial Council of the Transport Community, where discussions will focus on the Western Balkan countries’ progress in transport policy and the implementation of infrastructure projects.

According to the press release, Nikoloski will speak at the Ministerial Council about the country’s transport policies, the progress and implementation of projects on European Transport Corridors 8, 10, and 10d, as well as measures and activities to facilitate trade and transport across the Western Balkans.

Chaired by EU Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism Apostolos Tzitzikostas, the meeting will bring together Nikoloski, transport ministers, and government officials from Albania, Bulgaria, Ireland, Cyprus, Kosovo, Romania, Slovenia, Serbia, Montenegro, and other European nations.

During his visit to Brussels, Nikoloski will additionally hold a series of meetings with European Commission officials.

Photo: Facebook