European Council

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Slovenia, Tanja Fajon, assessed that the countries of the Western Balkans should "at full speed" take advantage of the opportunity related to EU enlargement.

A special clause in the countries' accession treaties to the European Union can ensure that they cannot block other applicants immediately after entry.

This was stated by the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, at the Strategic Forum in Bled, which gathered heads of state and government from the Western Balkans and other countries, including Bulgaria and Greece.

Albania's prime minister on Tuesday responded to not being invited by Greece to a dinner for top officials from nine Balkan nations and the European Union by saying that in "such turbulent times" Europe's unity is "larger than what divides us."

Eleven leaders of Balkan countries including Greece meeting in Athens expressed their "unwavering support for Ukraine's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders, based on the values of democracy and rule of law" in the face of Russian aggression, on Monday night.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis hosted on Monday evening an informal dinner with the leaders of the Western Balkans, Moldova, Ukraine and the EU, during which issues related to the bloc's enlargement and the European future of the region was discussed on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the EU-Western Balkans Summit and the Declaration of Thessaloniki.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis held a meeting with Borjana Kristo, the chairwoman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, at the Maximos Mansion, on Monday.

The discussions during the meeting centered around bilateral relations and Greece's support for Bosnia and Herzegovina's EU membership ambitions.

Athens and Kyiv have recently held direct talks in order to negotiate a bilateral agreement that will result in a form of commitment on the side of Greece to give guarantees of security in several sectors, not only defense.

The European Union will discuss the issue of Türkiye's visa exemption in the upcoming fall, while Türkiye remains a key partner in many areas of common interest, a senior official from the bloc has told a Turkish news agency.

Today, the European Parliament will vote on a resolution for the accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the Schengen area. Against this background, the Romanian MEP from the European People's Party, Eugene Tomac, requested that the European Parliament file a case against the European Council before the Court of Justice of the EU for not allowing Romania and Bulgaria into Schengen.

BRUSSELS - Serbian PM Ana Brnabic met with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Brussels on Tuesday to discuss current topics, including mechanisms for de-escalating violence in Kosovo-Metohija.