In competition with countries like Russia and China, the European Union is trying to gain more influence in the Western Balkans with promises of billions. Concrete commitments to the six states in their aspirations to join the EU were not made at a joint summit on Tuesday in the Albanian capital of Tirana.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen nevertheless spoke of "new impetus" in the accession process and referred to the increasing frequency of joint meetings. EU Council President Charles Michel emphasized how important progress in the accession efforts is also for the EU. "I am absolutely convinced that the future of our children with the Western Balkans in the EU will be safer and more prosperous," said the Belgian.

He also alluded to the fact that the countries of Albania, Serbia, North Macedonia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro and Kosovo are located in the middle of the EU and border on member states such as Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia and Hungary.

In principle, all six Balkan countries are striving for membership in the EU, but they are at different stages in the process. In recent years, the rapprochement has also stalled due to internal EU disputes. The frustration of the Balkan states is sometimes great - especially since Ukraine and Moldova were made candidate countries at record speed in June as a result of the Russian war of aggression.

Von der Leyen's appeal: Which side do you want to be on?

For the EU, on the other hand, Russia's war has shown above all that there should be no "both-and" for countries like Serbia. "You have to decide which side you're on," von der Leyen appealed in Tirana. "On the side of democracy, that's the European Union, your friend and partner. Or do you want to take a different path?"

Russia and China tried to exert influence in the region. However, it is the EU that is the largest investor and closest partner of the Western Balkans. As a result of the Russian war, the question arises as to whether autocracies and the law of the strongest will prevail, or democracy and the rule of law, said von der Leyen. "You can also see this struggle in the Western Balkans."

Von der Leyen's statements are likely to have referred primarily to Serbia, which has not yet joined the EU sanctions against Russia and continues to maintain very close relations with the government in Moscow. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, on the other hand, was self-confident. "We are aware of our obligations to the EU, but we are an independent country," said the head of state. "We protect our national interests."

EU threatens due to increasing migration via the Balkan route

The issue of migration is also important for the EU. Most recently, significantly more illegal border crossings via the Western Balkans into the EU were counted - around 22,300 in October alone, almost three times as many as in the same period last year. The EU is therefore calling on the Balkan states to align their visa policies with those of the European Union. So far, people from India have been able to travel to Serbia without a visa, from where they recently increasingly traveled to the EU and applied for asylum there. Serbia has already lifted the visa waiver for travelers from Tunisia and Burundi, and India is expected to follow next year. But the EU expects further efforts from Serbia and the other countries - for example in the fight against smuggler gangs. In the event that the countries do not adapt their visa policies, there have even been threats of suspending the current visa-free regime with the EU.

The conflict between Serbia and Kosovo

The EU is also putting pressure on the tense relationship between Serbia and Kosovo. At the summit, the EU presented a new proposal to normalize relations. According to diplomats, it provides that Serbia does not have to recognize the independence of Kosovo, but should accept it. Specifically, this should mean in particular that Belgrade will no longer block Kosovo's membership in international organizations. In return, Serbia could receive considerable financial and economic aid from the EU.

The EU has been trying for years to help clarify the relationship between the two neighbors. Kosovo, which is now almost exclusively inhabited by Albanians, split from Serbia in 1999 with the help of NATO and declared its independence in 2008. More than a hundred countries, including Germany, recognize independence - others such as Serbia, Russia and China, but also five EU countries do not.

What the EU is doing to bind the Balkans to itself

Money is the main incentive for the rocky road to EU rapprochement. An economic and investment offensive that has already been launched envisages providing up to nine billion euros in grants in the coming years. These should then mobilize an additional 20 billion euros in investments. Recently, another billion euros were made available to mitigate the consequences of the Russian war against Ukraine. The money can be used, for example, to support families and companies that are suffering from the sharp rise in energy prices.

However, the countries cannot expect any concessions in the EU accession process. "This is a merit-based process," said a senior EU official on Tuesday. If it lasts more than ten years or more, so be it. No one will be admitted without meeting the conditions.

Albania's Rama scores with summit in capital

For Albania, it was the largest political event hosted by the Balkan country. The population of the capital, characterized by dynamic construction activity, filled this with a certain pride. According to observers, the socialist Prime Minister Edi Rama can also score points domestically. Security forces hermetically sealed off the city center with the conference venue and government buildings for the more than 30 delegations.