Ruptly
"European Council President Antonio Costa on Tuesday emphasised that the accession of Western Balkan countries and Ukraine was 'main geopolitical priority' for the EU, while backing German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's pitch of granting 'associate' membership to Kiev. "The main goal is to create a solution to accommodate in the building of the European Union, Ukraine, because a lot of people believe that it will take more time than we can anticipate, this integration of Ukraine," Costa said during a joint press conference with Albania's Prime Minister Edi Rama in Tirana. "I'm more optimistic on this," he added while responding to a journalist's question on different working paths for both groups. It comes after last month, Merz proposed granting Ukraine 'associate member' status, which would allow Ukrainian officials to participate in EU summits and ministerial meetings without holding voting rights. While discussing the accession plans of the Western Balkan countries, Costa noted they were on a "very good path," adding that significant work was already underway on Montenegro and Albania. "We have already created the working group to start drafting the accession treaty to Montenegro. We have all 35 chapters to negotiate open with Albania," he explained. Costa hailed Albania for achieving its interim benchmarks on the first fundamentals cluster. "It is a clear recognition by the member states of Albania's commitment to further advance on the path towards membership of the European Union," he added. Costa is on a tour of all six Western Balkan countries from June 1-5, during which he will meet regional leaders and co-chair the EU–Western Balkans Summit in Montenegro on Friday. Albania is currently the frontrunner for EU membership. Ukraine was granted EU candidate status in 2022, and the accession negotiations formally opened in 2025."
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