Skopje, 19 May 2026 (MIA) - Regional cooperation remains a strategic instrument for strengthening stability, connectivity, resilience, and European integration of the Western Balkans, stressed participants at the 11th Forum of the European Union Strategy for the Adriatic-Ionian Region (EUSAIR), held in Skopje.

As part of the forum, a Ministerial Meeting of the Adriatic-Ionian Council/EUSAIR was also held, where the Skopje Declaration was adopted – a political document setting out the key priorities for the future of the region: accelerating enlargement, integrating Western Balkan countries into the EU, implementing the revised Action Plan, improving macro-regional cooperation, and fostering regional development – addressing demographic challenges, retaining young people, and encouraging cross-border cooperation.

“The discussions confirmed that regional cooperation remains a strategic instrument for strengthening stability, connectivity, resilience, and European integration of the Western Balkans. With the adoption of the Skopje Declaration, the participating countries reaffirmed their commitment to stronger cooperation, gradual integration, and a credible enlargement process based on reforms and shared European values. North Macedonia remains dedicated to strengthening the role of EUSAIR as an important platform for regional cooperation and European convergence,” said First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of European Affairs, Bekim Sali.

According to Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Timcho Mucunski, the Macedonian chairmanship of EUSAIR concludes with a message that regional cooperation brings concrete results, while the region’s European future remains within reach.

“Our chairmanship was aimed at enhancing regional cooperation as a driver of European integration. We place a special emphasis on the convergence between EU member states and partners who are still on the path to membership, with firm support from current member states,” Mucunski said. 

The Minister stressed that during the country’s chairmanship of the platform, significant progress was made in promoting regional connectivity through initiatives aimed at overcoming differences in infrastructure. He further noted that the Adriatic-Ionian Initiative once again affirmed its value as a platform for political dialogue, coordination, and building trust.

“The Skopje Declaration reaffirms our shared commitment to international law, European values, and joint answers to regional and global challenges. The chairmanship will now be handed over to Italy for the 2026-2027 period. We are confident that Italy will continue to strengthen the dynamic of cooperation and will further strengthen the Adriatic-Ionian partnership. As a country and Government, we remain fully committed to supporting this process and the shared European future of the region,” Mucunski underscored.

Italy’s Minister for European Affairs, Tommaso Foti, highlighted the EU enlargement in addition to regional cooperation. He said the Skopje Declaration is not a simple document signed at the end of a meeting, but a direction for future work that Italy will need to continue, based on five key pillars. 

“These are excellent times to talk about the accession of the Western Balkans to the EU. We believe that we should not only speak about pre-accession negotiations, but we should begin to talk about an accession process with the opening – and in some cases even the closing – of important clusters, which can demonstrate that the true commitment of the Western Balkan countries is aimed not only at continuing cooperation with the EU, but at becoming its full members. Here we are not only talking about the EU adding a geographical region to its borders. The Western Balkans are an important part of Europe, of the Europe that we believe should be reunited, a Europe which, for the first time since 1945, is witnessing an invasion. As much as we may dislike it, Russia has carried out an invasion of part of what are European values, and we believe those values must be reunited,” the Minister stressed.

According to the Italian Minister, the Western Balkan’s EU accession is not only about countries joining from an economic perspective, but also about political, social, and cultural unification of what is called the European identity. Italy’s strategy, he said, will be dedicated to supporting the growth and development of the macro-region.

At the press conference, Foti also spoke about connectivity, digitization, infrastructure, demographics, as well as small and medium-sized enterprises, which, he said, deserve greater attention.

“We need to connect as best we can the countries that make up an important part of European territory. The topic of demographics is common and highly relevant. We are talking about strong emigration from the Western Balkans to other parts of the EU, which may be due to the inability to find the most suitable and satisfactory solutions within their own territory. The brain drain affects all European countries, including Italy. It is a phenomenon to which we must provide an appropriate response, a response that suits everyone. Not to forbid people free choice, but to ensure that this choice is not imposed by certain social, economic, or other constraints, but rather is a conscious choice,” the Minister said.

Hugo Sobral, Deputy Director-General at the Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy of the European Commission, expressed hope that the Italian chairmanship will continue to strengthen the shared perspectives of the Western Balkans and build overall territorial cohesion in the region. 

“With the final Declaration, the importance of the macro-regional strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian region is once again confirmed. We support the countries in their cooperation, in creating a common vision for the region, and in a joint approach to the chalenges they face. In an environment where there are more candidate countries than member states, enlargement is an important priority, and I am very pleased that this, along with the European perspectives of the Western Balkans, is one of the priorities of this strategy, which serves as a kind of pre-accession laboratory where practices and the adoption of EU policies and standards can already begin,” Sobral said.

North Macedonia took over the EUSAIR chairmanship in May 2025 from Greece. Italy is set to be the next chair of the platform.

Photo: MIA