Brussels, 13 December 2023 (MIA) – The European Union reconfirms its full and unequivocal commitment to the European Union membership perspective of the Western Balkans and calls for the acceleration of the accession process, based upon credible reforms by partners, fair and rigorous conditionality and the principle of own merits, which is in our mutual interest, states the draft Declaration from Wednesday’s EU – Western Balkans Summit in Brussels attended by Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski and Deputy Prime Minister for European affairs, Bojan Marichikj.

“Enlargement is a geostrategic investment in peace, security, stability and prosperity. The EU welcomes the resolve of the Western Balkans partners to respect and commit to core European values and principles. The EU also welcomes the restated commitment of the Western Balkans partners to the primacy of democracy, fundamental rights and values and the rule of law,” adds the Declaration.

The document adds that in line with the Tirana Declaration of December 2022, the EU underlines the need for sustained and irreversible reform achievements on the rule of law, the functioning of democratic institutions, the economy and public administration reform.

“The increasingly complex geo-strategic environment, dominated by Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and heavily marked by the crisis in the Middle East, continues to put European and global security at risk. It demonstrates the importance of unity and purpose within the European family and of the strategic partnership between the EU and the Western Balkans region bringing about even closer ties and more integrated cooperation with the EU, based on shared principles and values,” it says.

The Declaration states that standing together with the EU is a clear sign of the partners' strategic orientation, “now more than ever, in light of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and other security challenges”.

“The EU will continue to invest in multilateralism and will cooperate with partners to defend and uphold the rules-based international order. A common vision of the future involves shared values and mutual responsibilities. As we deepen our cooperation with partners, we urge them to make swift and sustained progress towards full alignment with the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), including on EU restrictive measures and to act accordingly. We commend those Western Balkan partners that are already demonstrating their strategic commitment by fully aligning with the EU’s CFSP and encourage those that have not yet done so to follow suit. We also encourage the improvement of the enforcement of restrictive measures and the prevention of their circumvention,” adds the Declaration from the Summit.