ROME, Feb 11 – Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani has unveiled a plan to accelerate the European Union accession process for Western Balkan candidates, proposing gradual integration, procedural simplifications, and enhanced strategic communication.
At a ministerial meeting in Rome on Monday, Tajani outlined Italy’s position paper, stressing the need to streamline accession while reinforcing cooperation in key sectors such as cybersecurity, public administration reform, migration management, and business ties.
“We are in favour of admitting all candidate countries before 2030. Serbia, Montenegro, Albania, and North Macedonia have made significant progress, and I believe 2029 is a realistic target,” Tajani said. “We also support Bosnia’s accession, though it may require more time.”
Tajani presented Italy’s plan to EU officials, including European Commission Vice-President Kaja Kallas and Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos, as well as ministers from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Austria, Croatia, Greece, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Slovenia.
Trieste as a Regional Hub
Tajani also highlighted the strategic importance of Trieste as the primary port for the Western Balkans, emphasizing the need for infrastructure improvements to strengthen transport links between Trieste and Belgrade.
“Trieste can serve as the main port of reference for all the Balkans,” he said, underscoring Italy’s broader ambition to integrate the region into the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor.
The Italian proposal aligns with broader EU efforts to deepen engagement with the Western Balkans and mitigate external influences in the region.