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The Latest Breaking News from Western Balkans

NATO chief assures Western Balkans of alliance support and urges flexibility in Kosovo, Serbia talks

NATO’s secretary general, in his first trip to the once-volatile Western Balkans, has underscored the alliance’s “steadfast commitment” to its security

The Independent UK

Ex-ambassador to US appointed special envoy to Western Balkans

Foreign Secretary David Lammy said Dame Karen Pierce is the ‘ideal person’ to take on the role.

Evening Standard

European Commission chief assures Western Balkans of the bloc's enlargement progress

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has reassured the Western Balkan countries that the enlargement of the trade bloc remained one of its priorities

The Independent UK

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Former Albanian President Urges U.S. To Remember Western Balkans

Former Albanian President Meta raises concerns about U.S. neglect of Western Balkans and Russian interference, urging continued American engagement.

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Albania's deal with Italy on migrants has been welcomed by many. But others are confused and angry

Some in the Western Balkans country saw it as reciprocation when the leaders of Albania and Italy announced a contentious agreement earlier this week to jointly process some asylum applications of migrants arriving by sea

The Independent UK

EU - Balkan summit opens in Albania with 'greater convergence' on the agenda

Leaders from the Western Balkans and several European countries are meeting for an annual summit in the Albanian capital Tirana, with few concrete decisions expected amid heightened tensions across the region.

Radio France Internationale

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Western Balkans' integration into EU in focus at Albania summit

French President Emmanuel Macron will travel to Albania on Monday to attend the latest Berlin Process Summit, focusing on closer cooperation between the European Union and the Western Balkan countries. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Brussels is eager to strengthen its ranks, but significant barriers remain.

Radio France Internationale

European Union leaders to hold a summit with Western Balkans nations to discuss joining the bloc

Leaders from the European Union and the Western Balkans will hold an annual summit in Albania’s capital to discuss the path to membership in the bloc for the six countries of the region

The Independent UK

European Union approves visa-free travel for Kosovo citizens

European Union parliamentarians on Tuesday gave the green light for citizens from Kosovo to travel freely in Europe without visas from next year. Kosovo, once a Serbian province in the former Yugoslavia, is the last territory in the Western Balkans without visa-free travel to the EU's Schengen travel area.

Radio France Internationale

Migrant Entry Numbers Into Europe Hit 6-year High

The number of attempts by migrants to enter the European Union without authorization reached around 330,000 last year, the highest number since 2016, the EU’s border and coast guard agency said Friday. Almost half of the 2022 attempts were made overland through the Western Balkans region, EU agency Frontex said,…

Asharq Al-Awsat

Tensions in north Kosovo – whose agenda does the flare-up serve?

Ethnic fractures in the Western Balkans, including in Kosovo’s Serb-populated area, create trouble for the EU and US.

Al Jazeera

Albanian opposition leader attacked during anti-govt protest

The leader of the Albanian opposition center-right Democratic Party has been attacked during an anti-government protest held near a summit of European Union leaders and their counterparts from the Western Balkans in the capital Tirana

The Independent UK

EU, Western Balkans to boost partnership amid Ukraine war

EU leaders and their Western Balkans counterparts are to meet for talks aimed at boosting their partnership as Russia's war in Ukraine threatens to reshape the geopolitical balance in the region

The Independent UK

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Reuters

EU seeks to reassure Western Balkans on accession amid fears of Russia influence

A summit of European Union and Western Balkan leaders yielded few concrete steps on the region's future in the wealthy EU but offered it hope for some progress next week, amid a better atmosphere in talks than previously.

The Independent UK

Host Albania has high hopes for EU-Western Balkans summit

Albania’s prime minister says a European Union summit in his country’s capital this week demonstrates the EU’s heightened geostrategic interests in the Western Balkans region during Russia’s war in Ukraine

The Independent UK

Enlargement back on EU's agenda at Western Balkans summit

The war in Ukraine has put the European Union’s expansion at the top of the agenda as officials from the Western Balkans and EU leaders prepare to meet Tuesday

France 24

EU-Western Balkans summit: A new impetus for EU enlargement?

European Parliament President Roberta Metsola is urging the EU to send a strong signal to the Western Balkans at an upcoming summit in Albania on December 6. "Young people from those countries are hungry for the EU," she says, and the EU "should not turn away from them". But as…

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Reuters

Western Balkan mafia networks now key actors in regional, EU drug trade-study

Criminal networks in the Western Balkans have become key actors in both regional and European Union drug markets, a report by the bloc's drugs agency (EMCDDA) said on Monday.

Reuters

Western Balkans leaders to sign deals on closer integration in Berlin

Western Balkans leaders are set to sign three agreements on mutual recognition of identity cards, university degrees and professional qualifications at a summit in Berlin on Thursday, German government officials said.

Radio France Internationale

EU leader tours Western Balkans and Serbia to seek more influence

The European Union is in the midst of yet another goodwill trip through the Western Balkans to drum up support for the bloc and to make sure that Europe's historical tinderbox is not about to pick the side of hostile Russia or strategic rival China in the world of geopolitics.

The Independent UK

EU revisits Balkans to win friends, seek more influence

The European Union is in the midst of yet another goodwill trip through the Western Balkans to drum up support for the 27-nation bloc

Reuters

Western Balkans to agree free movement in step toward EU membership

Western Balkan ministers are set to agree on Friday on visa-free travel between the six countries and on mutual recognition of university diplomas and professional qualifications, taking a step towards EU membership.

Reuters

Germany extends checks at Austrian border as migrant numbers rise

Germany is extending border checks at crossings from Austria for six months from November given a recent rise in the number of migrants arriving via the Western Balkans route, German interior minister Nancy Faeser said on Tuesday.

Reuters

Central European leaders pledge new measures to stem flow of migrants to EU

The leaders of Hungary, Serbia and Austria pledged new measures on Monday to contain the flow of illegal migrants into the European Union through the Western Balkans, as border control forces become increasingly strained.

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