Skopje, 28 November 2025 (MIA) - It is time for the European Union to make a strategic step toward the Western Balkans. After a long, even marathon-like Euro-integration, the shared geography, history, and culture should be completed by opening the doors for the membership of the Balkan states, President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova said at the Balkan Integration Forum 2025 in Montenegro.

According to the President’s Office, in a discussion at the forum the President stressed that “the accession must be a credible process based solely on the Copenhagen criteria, and the Union must defend its principles and values.” 

“Double standards complicate the process and must not be accepted. According to the President, EU membership is the best way to strengthen the region’s resilience against third centers of power. Siljanovska-Davkova stressed that, on a regional level, we exceed the average harmonization with the EU acquis in all six clusters, being 100 percent aligned with the common foreign and security policy of the EU, and we deserve to be encouraged and get a chance to begin negotiations,” the President’s Office said in a press release.

Montenegro’s President Jakov Milatović also participated in the discussion “Presidents for EU Integration - Do We Have a Plan?”, moderated by the President of the European Movement in Montenegro, Momčilo Radulović.

Participants agreed that the Western Balkan countries must strategically and in a coordinated way address the phenomenon of “brain drain”, the President’s Office reported.

Photo: President’s Office