Foreign Ministers Of The Western Balkans Group Signed Bratislava Declaration For Integrating The Region Into The European Union.

Bratislava; May 2026: The Foreign Ministers of the Friends of the Western Balkans Group comprising Austria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Greece, Italy, Slovenia, and Slovakia, have met in Bratislava yesterday on May 12, 2026, with their partners from the Western Balkans region. The meeting was attended by the European Commissioner for Enlargement.

Building on the legacy of the EU-Western Balkans Summit held in Thessaloniki in June 2003; recalling the 2018 Enlargement Strategy, the Council Conclusions on Enlargement, and the EU-Western Balkans Brussels Declaration of December 2025:

• reaffirming the European Union’s continued commitment to the Western Balkans and its full and unequivocal support for the Western Balkans’ EU membership prospects;

• and in light of the evolving geopolitical challenges,

The Foreign Ministers of the Friends of the Western Balkans Group, together with their partners in the region, underline that the integration process of the EU candidate countries must be:

• A long-term geostrategic investment for a stable, secure and prosperous Europe, as well as a driving force for structural reforms and sustainable economic growth in the region;

• Predictable, credible and merit-based, so that compliance with the agreed criteria can translate into concrete, measurable and timely steps towards accession;

• A key political stimulus for Western Balkan partners to fully exploit the current momentum to accelerate EU accession-oriented reforms, with particular emphasis on the implementation of reform agendas through the EU Growth Plan for the Western Balkans;

• An incentive both for the Western Balkan partners to adequately prepare for EU accession and for the EU to be ready when new members join;

• An incentive for Western Balkan partners to align with the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy as a demonstration of strategic orientation and shared values;

• An important encouragement to intensify regional cooperation and promote good neighbourly relations as a prerequisite for successful integration;

• A recognition of the crucial importance of clearly communicating to citizens the benefits and obligations of the path towards the EU, mobilising support both within the EU and among Western Balkan partners, including at parliamentary level.

Recognising the significant mutual benefits resulting from the integration of the Western Balkans into the European Union, the members of the Group:

• Reiterated their belief that keeping the issue of the Western Balkans regularly on the agenda of the EU institutions, in all relevant contexts, is in the strategic interest of both the EU and the candidate countries.

• They underlined the need for a predictable, fair and merit-based EU accession process, based on the Copenhagen criteria and agreed conditions, while promoting good neighbourly relations between current and future EU members.

• They highlighted the need for the EU to prepare internally for the accession of new members, inter alia in the context of the ongoing negotiations on the new Multiannual Financial Framework 2028-2034, thus strengthening the overall credibility and predictability of the process

• They encouraged partners in the region to make full use of the financial opportunities offered by the EU Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, which is an important tool for implementing the necessary reforms, and called on the European Commission to prepare the post-2027 Growth Plan on the basis of an evaluation of the first implementation period.
• They agreed to maintain a high level of political engagement, including through mutual contacts and visits by EU Ministers and other high-level state representatives, in order to strengthen the EU’s visibility in the region.

• Reiterated their strong support for the realisation of concrete and tangible benefits from gradual integration between the EU and the region even before accession, in order to demonstrate already in the pre-accession phase the practical benefits of European integration for Western Balkan partners, such as access to the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA) or the extension of EU roaming benefits to the Western Balkans, and called on the European Commission to present concrete proposals for further gradual integration, including sectoral integration into the European Single Market.

• They committed to promoting discussions with Western Balkan partners on EU sectoral policies in the context of informal meetings of the various configurations of the Council of the EU.

• They underlined the importance of inclusive strategic communication with their respective publics in EU Member States and Western Balkan partners, including active and timely involvement of national parliaments in view of the ratification process.

The EU Group of Ministers “Friends of the Western Balkans”, working closely with partners in the region, will continue to vigorously support the achievement of tangible progress in preparing Western Balkan partners for EU accession, calling on colleagues across the European Union to continue working on this historic project and to continue to consider it one of the EU’s priorities.

Team Maverick.