What is expected from the EU summit in Tirana and why it is so important

The meeting is important for a major reason: this is the first time that a large summit between the EU and the Western Balkans will be held outside the European bloc.

Radio Free Europe sources in Brussels have said there are two goals for this summit: maintaining a united front and avoiding deviations.

This is because there have been bad precedents recorded in the past 12 months.

The final summit, held in Brdo, Slovenia, in the fall of 2021, has been dominated by disagreements whether the final declaration should include the word “enlargement”, as some EU member states have doubted the world in the idea of expanding the club.

However, that atmosphere is not even compared to the situation created at an informal meeting held between the EU and the Western Balkans in Brussels on 23 June.

Although the last meeting is considered historic after Ukraine and Moldova have won candidate countries' status for membership, Bosnia has not gained such status.

Albania and Northern Macedonia have failed to start membership talks, due to unresolved issues between Skopje and Sofia.

There are indicators that the summit in Tirana will get a little better.

First, the meeting will be only half a day, which means less time for disagreement.

Second, the draft document that Radio Free Europe has seen, in which 27 member states have worked in recent weeks, is optimistic and not highly critical of the six Western Balkan countries.

Since Russia's war in Ukraine began, skeptical countries like France and the Netherlands have begun to promote the idea that membership of non-member states in the bloc is not such a bad idea.

Over the summer the node has been unblocked in disagreements between Bulgaria and Northern Macedonia, and now, according to draft document, European officials are expected to confirm that “The EU is fully committed to the Western Balkans' prospects for EU membership, and is expected to call for speeding up the enlargement process”.

This document includes the word “ex1>.

Moreover, this summit is expected to avoid topics causing division.

Among the main ones, Serbia's continued refusal to impose sanctions on Russia for the war launched in Ukraine.

So far, this policy has had little consequence for Belgrade, and the declaration does not single out Serbia in that direction.

What else is expected to be discussed?

There is also good news expected from the summit.

In the joint declaration between the EU and the Western Balkans, telephone operators will sign agreements paving the way for reducing the Romang prices between the European bloc and the Western Balkans in 2023, with the possibility of abolishing overall costs later.

Recent reports of increasing the number of migrants entering the EU through the streets of the Western Balkans have disturbed some capitals within the EU.

Therefore, this summit is expected to call for combating smuggling and human trafficking.

The EU has recently pledged to allocate 40m euros to strengthen border management in the region and is expected to allocate an additional 30m euros for combating smuggling and trafficking.

Some more sensitive issues are expected to be discussed later in December.

One of them is whether Bosnia and Herzegovina will receive candidate status for membership this year.

There are many indicators that the countries of the European bloc will agree on this when their ministers in Brussels meet on December 13th, as there is no movement in the current enlargement draft, which has seen Radio Free Europe, which has not moved in that direction.

Some European diplomats, who have spoken on condition of anonymity, have told Free Europe Radio that they believe Bosnia will gain candidate country status but under conditions similar to the way Ukraine and Moldova have gained this status next summer.

EU leaders can make that decision in a summit that holds the EU several days later, respectively, 15-16 December.

However, European ministers may also disagree over the expansion conclusions.

Something like this has happened before, and there are indicators that can happen again, as the topic of Bosnia may not be the only one to be solved.

Bulgaria wants to advance its intentions in terms of differences on the language issue, and some member states seek more ambitious text for Ukraine.