Southeastern Europe

Brdo pri Kranju – Parliamentary Speaker Igor Zorčič hosted a meeting of parliamentary speakers from the Western Balkans on Monday, saying that the EU must give the region a clear signal on when it could expect EU accession. The speakers of the Serbian and Montenegrin parliaments also called for more clarity regarding the EU enlargement.

Angela Merkel visited the Albanian capital Tirana on Tuesday, the last stop on a brief farewell Balkan tour which saw the German chancellor encourage the countries in the region to push ahead with reforms to improve their chances of joining the European Union.

It's in the European Union's strategic interests to integrate the Balkan states into the bloc, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Monday as she urged Serbia and other countries in the region to do more on democratic reforms in order to join, AP reported.

She was escorted from the Belgrade airport by the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vui.
A photo of Vui saying goodbye to Merkel was published on the Instagram profile of "buducnostsrbijeav".

Vui has repeatedly expressed his gratitude to Merkel for everything she did for Serbia while she was the Chancellor of Germany.
According to Vui, Merkel has done a lot for Serbia, especially when it comes to German investments in the country. Vui repeated the same message in tonight's address.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel will visit Belgrade on Monday, where she will meet with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić to discuss political and economic cooperation and the EU integration process.

Bled, 2 September – President Borut Pahor held a number of bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the Bled Strategic Forum (BSF) on Thursday, including with High Representative for Bosnia-Herzegovina Christian Schmidt. The pair talked about the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Pahor’s office said.

As it is stated, that is the strategic interest of both sides.
European Commissioner for Enlargement Oliver Vrhelyi pointed out that the issue of enlargement is not only the geographical enlargement of the EU, but it is about ensuring political, economic and even security integration.

For their part, Marusic and Haddad are decidedly optimistic about the project's significance, writing: "Coming on the heels of the breakthrough Prespa agreement between North Macedonia and Greece, initiatives like Open Balkan signal that something important, and indeed healthy, is happening on the ground: Local leaders are taking ownership of their fate and showing creativity."

Participating in the Bled Strategic Forum, Albanian Prime Minister also criticized EU institutions for delays in enlargement.
"There is no future for Europe without the Western Balkans within the EU. If the EU continues like this, of course it will not be good for us, but it will be even worse for the EU," Rama said, as reported by the Kosovo Press.