Slovakia Joins EU Partners to Discuss Accelerating Western Balkans Enlargement

Foreign ministers from a group of European Union member states known as the 'Friends of the Western Balkans' met to discuss ways to speed up the accession of Western Balkan countries into the EU. Slovakia's Foreign Minister Juraj Blanár attended the ministerial meeting as one of the group's founding members. On the sidelines of the gathering, Blanár also held separate talks with Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani. The Western Balkans region — encompassing countries such as Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Kosovo — has been pursuing EU membership for years, but progress has been slow due to reform requirements and political complications on both sides. The 'Friends of the Western Balkans' is an informal grouping of EU member states that advocates for a clearer and faster path to membership for these countries, reflecting concerns that prolonged delays could destabilize the region and create openings for Russian and Chinese influence.