Brussels – The date for the 2026 summit can already be marked in the agenda. This year, however, with just two months to go before the winter break, everything remains up in the air. The future of the EU-Western Balkans Summit—now an established annual gathering between Brussels and a region that has spent more than two decades waiting to join the Union—is, at the end of 2025, still wrapped in mystery.
“We agreed to hold the 2026 EU-Western Balkans Summit on 1 June in Montenegro,” President of the European Council António Costa announced on 16 October, following his meeting with Montenegrin President Jakov Milatović. “It will be wonderful to hold the summit in the region and in a country that is making impressive progress towards EU accession,” he added, referring to Podgorica’s ambition to join the Union by 2028.
With the date now set for the 2026 EU-Western Balkans Summit, one question naturally arises: what has happened to the 2025 EU-Western Balkans Summit? Three EU sources contacted by The New Union Post confirmed that there has not yet been any formal communication regarding the date, although it is widely assumed that the meeting will take place within the next two months.
The most likely date appears to be 18–19 December, when the heads of state and government of the 27 EU member states will gather in Brussels for the last European Council of the year. As in 2023 and 2024, the leaders of the six Western Balkans countries could be invited to meet ahead of the EU summit for the annual gathering of 37 (alongside the heads of the EU institutions). However, as one of the sources cautioned, “December is still a long way off.”
The recent history of the EU-Western Balkans summits
The EU-Western Balkans Summit is a high-level meeting between the European Union and the six countries of the region—Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia. The summit serves as a platform for dialogue regarding the Western Balkans’ EU accession perspective, while also addressing current challenges. It typically results in a joint declaration outlining agreements, priorities, and initiatives for closer cooperation.
The first EU-Western Balkans summits took place in 2018 in Sofia (Bulgaria), with the adoption of a declaration introducing new measures to enhance cooperation in areas such as the rule of law, good governance, security, migration, and socio-economic development.
In 2020, amid the global COVID-19 pandemic, a summit was organised in Zagreb (Croatia) and held virtually. During this meeting, the EU reaffirmed its commitment to the Western Balkans’ EU perspective while also focusing on regional cooperation in tackling the pandemic and planning for economic recovery.
In 2021, the summit in Brdo (Slovenia) was held at the leaders’ level. The adopted declaration outlined initiatives to strengthen connectivity within the region and promote both the green and digital transitions.
Following the renewed impetus on EU enlargement caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, 2022 was particularly active with two meetings. In June, leaders convened in Brussels to review progress on EU integration and address challenges arising from the war in Ukraine. On 6 December, an EU-Western Balkans Summit was held in Tirana (Albania)—the first ever hosted within the Western Balkans—with discussions covering security, migration, economic development, and countering foreign interference.
The 2023 summit in Brussels continued this trajectory by focusing on advancing gradual integration, building economic resilience, and strengthening cooperation in light of ongoing geopolitical challenges, particularly Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.
The most recent summit, held on 18 December 2024 in Brussels, further consolidated the EU-Western Balkans partnership, addressing a broad spectrum of topics, from political cooperation to economic development, security, bilateral issues, and migration.
