EU Enlargement & Neighbourhood
The EU prioritises development and stability in the wider region and neighbourhood, working in close partnership with its neighbours to the East and South and supporting the reforms required by countries that want to become EU members.
If there is one thing that 27 EU member states agree on it is that we all believe in rules-based multilateralism. We repeat, almost mantra like, that we want a strong UN as the beating heart of the multilateral system. The Security Council is the world’s highest multilateral authority and it has the last word on matters of peace and security. I was very pleased to address the Security Council on the EU-UN cooperation (see here) and to express the EU’s strong support for the UN’s work, with concrete contributions in many areas and especially on peace and security.
Today, Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi presented a new Commission proposal for enhancing the accession process for the countries of the Western Balkans, calling it 'a geo-strategic investment of the EU in a stable, strong, prosperous and united Europe'.
Today, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, Frontex in cooperation with the Albanian authorities, launched the first ever joint operation outside the European Union. This marks a new phase for border cooperation between the EU and Western Balkan partners. The event took place in Tirana, Albania, in the presence of Prime Minister of Albania Edi Rama, Albanian Minister of Interior Sandër Lleshaj, EU Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos and Frontex Executive Director Fabrice Leggeri.
One hundred Young European Ambassadors from the European Union and its six Eastern partner countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Republic of Moldova and Ukraine) have gathered on 14-15 February in Brussels to celebrate the achievements of the Eastern Partnership (EaP) in the past decade.
Josep Borrell takes office as the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission (HR/VP).
