Last week, the Western Balkans moved to the centre of the EU’s political agenda. European Council President António Costa visited Sarajevo, Tirana, Skopje, Pristina and Belgrade, before attending the EU-Western Balkans Summit in Tivat, Montenegro, on 5 June. Joined by Commission President von der Leyen, Costa arrived with a familiar message: the Western Balkans remain firmly anchored in the European future.
The summit’s agenda reflected this ambition, focusing on two closely connected priorities: (gradual) integration and regional security. Another message stood out: at a time of competing crises, the attention devoted to the Western Balkans last week underscored the region’s continued
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