STORY: EU-Western Balkans summit in the Albanian capital Tirana on Tuesday. At the meeting, which was also attended by Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the topic was to what extent the rapprochement of the six Western Balkan states with the EU can be accelerated. “In view of all this, from my point of view, a good meeting. An important intermediate result for the region itself. A great sign of hope. And of course something that draws on all the progress that we have made in the meantime. but are necessary. I just want to remind you of the talks that have now started regarding the situation in North Macedonia or Albania. It got stuck for a long time. We pushed that forward. There is new movement in the talks between Serbia and Kosovo. It remains difficult, but necessary. And there, too, progress has been made. Without this whole new dynamism in terms of the integration process of the six Western Balkan countries, we would not have been able to achieve this progress.” Five Western Balkan countries – Albania, Bosnia, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia – are currently at different stages of the EU accession process. Kosovo, for example, wants to submit its application for EU membership by the end of this year. Pressure is also being created by the fact that the EU has meanwhile offered Ukraine membership – but the accession process with the Western Balkan countries has been going on for 19 years.