Special reference to the respect of the rights of minorities is made in the Declaration of the EU-Western Balkans Summit of December 13 in Brussels.

In particular, the EU underlines the need for the commitment of the Western Balkans partners for comprehensive regional cooperation and the strengthening of good neighborly relations, including with the EU Member States. “The good faith and tangible results of bilateral agreements, including the Prespa Agreement with Greece and the Treaty of Friendship, Good Neighborliness and Cooperation with Bulgaria, continues to be important”, the Declaration states, while underlining that “decisive further efforts are still needed to promote reconciliation and regional stability, as well as to find and the implementation of definitive, comprehensive and binding solutions to regional and bilateral disputes and partner issues rooted in the legacy of the past”. These solutions are noted to be provided in accordance with international law, including the Succession Agreement, and other missing persons and war crimes issues. “The EU calls on partners to guarantee the rights and equal treatment of persons belonging to minorities,” the Declaration states.

The EU welcomes the determination of the Western Balkan partners to respect and commit to core European values ​​and principles, in accordance with international law. It also welcomes the reaffirmed commitment of the Western Balkan partners to the primacy of democracy, fundamental rights and values ​​and the rule of law. According to the Tirana Declaration of December 2022, the EU underlines the need for continuous and irreversible reform achievements regarding the rule of law, the functioning of democratic institutions, the economy and public administration reform. The EU underlines the need for continued efforts to fight corruption and organized crime, enhanced support for good governance, human rights, gender equality and the rights of persons belonging to minorities. The credibility of these commitments depends on the substantive implementation of the necessary reforms.

In general, European leaders underline that the increasingly complex geostrategic environment, dominated by Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and strongly marked by the crisis in the Middle East, continues to endanger European and global security. In this context, the strategic partnership between the EU and the Western Balkans region that brings ever closer ties and deeper cooperation with the EU, based on shared principles and values, becomes even more necessary.