Meloni in Tivat for the EU-Balkans summit: enlargement returns to the forefront of the European agenda.

The EU-Western Balkans Summit opens in Montenegro, hosted in Tivat and dedicated to the future of the European Union's enlargement in the region. Just six months after the last meeting convened in Brussels, the summit brings the Balkan countries' accession process back to the center of the EU agenda, with the stated goal of reaffirming the strength of relations between the Union and an area considered strategic for the continent's stability. The Montenegrin town, overlooking the Bay of Kotor and now a symbol of an economic and tourism transformation also linked to Porto Montenegro, thus becomes the political showcase for Montenegro's European ambitions and, more broadly, for the entire Balkan region.

Meloni at the summit after the stop in Reggio Calabria

Among the leaders attending the summit was Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who arrived in Tivat after attending the anniversary ceremony of the Carabinieri Corps in Reggio Calabria. The prime minister's presence is consistent with a political stance that sees Italy among the countries most supportive of maintaining European attention on the Western Balkans. Rome views the region's integration not just as a diplomatic dossier, but as a matter of security, stability, and strategic perspective for the entire European Union, especially at a time marked by the war in Ukraine and growing geopolitical competition on the continent.

A night of security and diplomacy

The eve of the summit was marked by an impressive security setup, with increased security, patrolled roads, and a heavy flow of international delegations. The simultaneous arrival of heads of government, European officials, and journalists tested local organization, transforming Tivat into a focal point for continental diplomacy. The previous evening, an informal dinner among the leaders present had taken place, also attended by Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, who arrived in Montenegro despite concerns expressed by Serbian security services for his safety.

The theme of the summit: shared prosperity and stability

The summit is held under the theme "Shared Prosperity and Stability of the EU and the Western Balkans." The meeting is chaired by European Council President António Costa and hosted by Montenegro's President Jakov Milatović. The leaders of the European Union and the Western Balkans are present, along with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas. The political objective is to relaunch a concrete European perspective for the region, after years in which the accession process advanced at different paces and was often marked by institutional slowdowns, incomplete reforms, and bilateral tensions.

European leaders present in Tivat

In addition to Prime Minister Meloni, the summit is attended by numerous European leaders. Among those present are French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, and Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides. Representatives and leaders of other member states are also attending the meeting, including Romania, Estonia, Malta, Ireland, Portugal, Bulgaria, Austria, Croatia, Belgium, the Czech Republic, and Lithuania. This broad attendance confirms the political weight of the enlargement dossier in the new European balance of power.

Enlargement as a central dossier

The focus of the meeting will be primarily on the Balkan countries' accession process to the European Union. Over a working lunch, leaders will discuss the state of play of negotiations and the progress made in the region's gradual integration into EU policies and the single market. The summit aims to identify the next steps to accelerate the process, while strengthening the credibility of the European perspective. For Brussels, the issue is not just about the formal accession of new members, but also about the Union's ability to consolidate its influence in an area historically exposed to political fragility, external pressure, and internal tensions.

The Growth Plan for the Western Balkans

Among the items on the agenda is the implementation of the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, designed to foster greater economic and political integration in the region prior to final accession. The idea is to allow candidate countries to gradually move closer to the European single market, gain greater access to EU programs, and strengthen regulatory convergence with the Union. The discussion is intertwined with the need to maintain momentum on internal reforms, from the rule of law to public administration, from the fight against corruption to the stability of democratic institutions.

The Franco-German non-paper to speed up the process

On the eve of the summit, a Franco-German non-paper was also circulated, aimed at further accelerating enlargement. The document proposes overcoming some steps deemed excessively bureaucratic, opening the negotiating clusters recommended by the European Commission more rapidly, and encouraging the candidate countries' gradual participation in EU policies prior to formal accession. Among the options discussed were progressive accession to the single market, broader participation in European programs, and observer status in certain EU decision-making bodies. This approach aims to make the candidate countries' European path more visible and concrete, preventing the process from being perceived as indefinite.

Ukraine and Moldova in the background of the summit

The Tivat meeting comes just hours after the start of the process to open "cluster 1" in the accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova. This step confirms that the topic of enlargement no longer concerns only the Western Balkans, but has now become one of the European Union's major geopolitical issues. The war in Ukraine has profoundly changed the strategic perception of the accession process, pushing Brussels to consider enlargement also as a tool for the continent's security and political consolidation. The summit will therefore also address the relationship between the various enlargement strands, with the aim of preventing the focus on Ukraine and Moldova from obscuring the Balkans' European aspirations.

Montenegro and Albania among the most advanced countries

During the summit, the status of the two Balkan countries considered closest to joining the European Union will also be discussed: Montenegro, the host country of the summit, and Albania. Podgorica is considered the most advanced candidate on the accession path and aims to use the Tivat meeting as a test of its political and institutional credibility. The choice of the Montenegrin city as the summit venue thus takes on a strong symbolic value: it demonstrates a country aspiring to present itself as ready for full European membership, in a region where the integration process remains marked by uneven speeds and unresolved political issues.

The Italian line in the Western Balkans

Italy's position remains oriented toward supporting a concrete and credible accession perspective for the Western Balkans. For Rome, the region cannot be considered a European periphery, but rather a strategic link between East and West, with direct implications for the security, prosperity, and stability of the entire continent. Balkan integration is seen as a long-term political investment, capable of strengthening European cohesion and reducing the scope for external actors' influence. From this perspective, the Tivat summit represents an opportunity for Meloni to reaffirm Italy's role as a promoter of a realistic acceleration of the process.

A region crucial for the future of the Union

The Western Balkans remain a crucial region for the European Union from an economic, political, and security perspective. The EU is the region's largest trading partner, investor, and donor, but strengthening ties also depends on the ability to deliver tangible results to the populations of the candidate countries. The European perspective continues to be considered one of the key tools for promoting stability, reconciliation, and development in the region. Precisely for this reason, the political message emerging from the summit is clear: without a credible path forward for the Western Balkans, the European project risks remaining incomplete.

A summit to measure European credibility

The Tivat Summit is not just a diplomatic meeting on enlargement, but a test for the European Union's credibility. After years of promises, delays, and caution, Brussels is called upon to demonstrate its ability to transform the European perspective of the Western Balkans into a concrete path, marked by recognizable milestones and progressive benefits. The presence of key European leaders, along with the participation of Prime Minister Meloni and the EU's institutional leaders, gives the meeting significant political weight. The challenge will be to reconcile ambition and realism, acceleration and rigor, in a process destined to impact Europe's future balance.