Leaders of the Western Balkans gathered in Albania on Monday for the Brdo-Brijuni summit, a regional initiative co-chaired by Slovenia and Croatia, with calls for stronger cooperation and a renewed push toward European Union membership.
Albanian President Bajram Begaj welcomed his counterparts in the coastal town of Golem, near Kavaja, alongside Slovenian President Nataša Pirc Musar and Croatian President Zoran Milanović. The three countries co-host the Brdo-Brijuni Process, launched in 2010 to encourage dialogue and EU integration across the region.
“United in interests and commitments, for a common future. Together towards the European future,” Begaj wrote in a social media post before the summit opened.
The agenda focused on regional cooperation, good-neighbourly relations, the EU’s new Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, and policies to strengthen youth participation and retain skilled workers. In addition to a plenary session and joint press conference, leaders also scheduled bilateral meetings.
The two-day summit is expected to conclude with a joint declaration reaffirming the participants’ commitment to closer cooperation, regional stability and progress toward EU accession.
EU membership in focus
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, attending the summit in Durrës, said Serbia remained committed to enlargement and insisted that the EU should keep the Western Balkans firmly on its agenda.
“I am convinced that enlargement must remain clearly inscribed on the agenda of the Western Balkans and that open membership perspectives represent a powerful driver of reforms, new investment and economic growth,” Vučić told reporters.
He added that Serbia would continue to be a “reliable and responsible partner” to the EU.
Begaj said Albania strongly supported regional dialogue and faster European integration, calling the Brdo-Brijuni Process a key platform for promoting cooperation. “As host country, Albania highly values the role of this initiative in deepening regional ties and advancing our shared European vision,” he said.
Who attended
Alongside Begaj, Vučić, Pirc Musar and Milanović, the summit brought together Montenegrin President Jakov Milatović; Bosnian Presidency members Željka Cvijanović, Denis Bećirović and Željko Komšić; North Macedonia’s President Gordana Siljanovska Davkova; and Kosovo’s President Vjosa Osmani.
Albanian Foreign Minister Elisa Spiropali said the gathering came at a “significant moment” as the EU’s Growth Plan for the Western Balkans offered financial and social instruments to speed up convergence with the bloc.
The Brdo-Brijuni Process was launched in 2010 by former Slovenian President Borut Pahor and former Croatian President Ivo Josipović. It takes its name from Brdo pri Kranju in Slovenia and the Brijuni islands in Croatia, where the first meetings were held.
The initiative complements the Berlin Process and other international frameworks for integrating the Western Balkans into the EU, while providing an annual platform for open dialogue on disputes and challenges in the region. Last year’s summit was held in Tivat, Montenegro.