Skopje, 19 May 2026 (MIA) - The Western Balkans cannot be left out of the integration into the European Union. These countries have been waiting for integration since 2003, said Giovanni Castellaneta, the Secretary General of the Adriatic and Ionian Initiative, at Tuesday’s forum on the EU Strategy for the Adriatic-Ionian Region (EUSAIR) held in Skopje.

“Enlargement is an investment in the future of Europe. If we keep delaying these activities we will need to pay a price, i.e., there is a risk of falling under external influence. That is precisely why we are trying to establish a process that will enable predictable activities. A few days ago, we had a meeting in Bratislava where the importance of enlargement was reaffirmed, and it was concluded that gradual measures for the integration of the Western Balkans into the European Union need to be taken,” Castellaneta said.

At the forum, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Timcho Mucunski pointed to EU enlargement as a geostrategic priority of essential importance for the region.

“We want a merit-based enlargement process while also implementing the harmonization with European standards,” Mucunski said.

Touching upon the country’s chairmanship with EUSAIR which it is now handing over to Italy, Mucunski said the country will continue to support the process and actively participate in it.

“At the beginning our chairmanship we committed ourselves to a very clear vision – to strengthen regional unity with a perspective toward a European future. Now we can see that this was translated into significant progress. This won’t only be a platform for dialogue, but also a moment of realization. In the past decade we worked together to strengthen cooperation as a driver of Euro-integrations. We placed an especially firm emphasis on the non-EU countries in our region that are close to the European Union with active support from the member states within EUSAIR. All of this has been embodied into the Skopje Declaration, and these commitments are testimony to our efforts,” Mucunski said. 

According to First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of European Affairs Bekim Sali, EU enlargement remains a strategic investment in the peace, stability, and prosperity of Europe, and Western Balkan countries need to progress on the European path through credible reforms and regional cooperation.

“EUSAIR is not just a regional platform for cooperation, it is a concrete bridge to gradual European integration. At a time of serious geopolitical and economic challenges, the region needs more coordination, greater connectivity, and more joint investments,” Sali said.

Skopje Mayor Orce Gjorgjievski said regional cooperation is no longer a choice, but a necessity.

“Only through joint, coordinated and responsible efforts can we build stable development, greater economic connectivity, better infrastructure and institutional cooperation, as well as greater social cohesion within the entire region,” Gjorgjievski said. 

North Macedonia took over the EUSAIR chairmanship from Greece in May 2025.

EUSAIR is an initiative of EU member states aimed at promoting sustainable economic and social prosperity in the region. EUSAIR covers 10 countries – four of them EU member states (Croatia, Greece, Italy, and Slovenia) and six non-EU countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, San Marino, Montenegro, and Serbia). EUSAIR also seeks to support the EU accession of Western Balkan countries, to create synergies, and to encourage coordination among all territories in the Adriatic-Ionian region.

Photo: MIA