EU-Western Balkans summit to take place in Brussels on 25 November
EU and Western Balkans leaders will meet in Brussels on 25 November. The summit will highlight the strategic importance of the relations between the EU and the Western Balkans.
The President of the European Council will represent the EU at the summit together with the President of the European Commission.
“The Western Balkans’s future is in the European Union. Their accession is our priority, our shared ambition and a crucial geopolitical investment in these turbulent times. The EU is and will remain the most reliable partner of the region.”
– António Costa, President of the European Council
The summit will be an opportunity to reaffirm the EU’s commitment to the membership perspective of the Western Balkans and encourage partners to accelerate decisive reforms and deliver on the commitments necessary to advance on their paths towards the EU. Leaders will also assess progress in the gradual integration of the Western Balkans with the EU, notably through the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans and discuss how to advance it further.
Finally, they will examine common challenges and ways to strengthen security and resilience amid an increasingly complex geopolitical landscape.
Background information
The summit forms part of the implementation of the European Council’s 2024-2029 strategic agenda.
Regular EU-Western Balkans summits have been held since 2018. The most recent summit between EU and Western Balkans leaders took place in Tivat in June 2026.
Between 1 and 4 June 2026 President Costa travelled to the region and met the leaders of Western Balkans partners. They discussed opportunities and challenges relating to enlargement, gradual integration, regional cooperation, security and stability.
