EU Leaders to Gather for Summit on Enlargement and Competitiveness

European Union heads of state and government are set to meet at a summit where the bloc's enlargement and economic competitiveness will headline the agenda. Leaders will discuss the potential expansion of the EU to include new member states, a process that has gained renewed momentum in recent years as several countries in the Western Balkans and Eastern Europe pursue accession. Economic policy and the EU's competitive standing in the global economy will also be on the table, with leaders expected to address these issues during a working dinner. Slovakia will be represented at the summit by Prime Minister Robert Fico, the leader of the ruling Smer-SD party, a social-democratic and nationally conservative political force that has steered Slovak foreign policy in a direction at times at odds with the EU mainstream, particularly on issues related to Ukraine and sanctions against Russia.