Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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128. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will report on his appearance at the EU-Western Balkans Summit in Tirana. [62026/22]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I attended the EU-Western Balkans Summit in Tirana on 6 December, the first such Summit to take place in the Western Balkans region. All EU Members States bar Spain were represented at Head of State or Government level, as were all six Western Balkans countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia.

The Summit consisted of two plenary sessions.

The first session was dedicated to addressing the impact of Russia's war against Ukraine on the Western Balkans region, including supports in the energy sector, and initiatives to build a robust economic foundation through the implementation of the EU’s Economic and Investment Plan for the Western Balkans. 

The second session looked at how to intensify engagement between the EU and Western Balkans, focusing on security, migration, and regional cooperation. 

The Summit resulted in the publication of the Tirana Declaration, to which all Western Balkans partners aligned. The Declaration reconfirms the EU’s commitment to the Western Balkans countries, and to their EU perspectives. It also commits to accelerated political and policy engagement; deeper sectoral cooperation; greater integration of the Western Balkans into the EU internal market; and stronger cooperation on security issues.

The Summit was a good opportunity for Ireland to reiterate our strong support for the EU perspective of the Western Balkans countries, and to encourage further progress in EU-related reforms, particularly in the areas of rule of law and fundamental rights. It was also an opportunity to signal our commitment to supporting the Western Balkans region to mitigate the negative impacts of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and to recognise the strong CFSP alignment of most Western Balkans partners in response to Russian aggression.

Throughout the Summit, I emphasised the importance of regional cooperation to resolve conflicts, noting the transformative impact of EU membership on peace and prosperity in Ireland over the past 50 years.