Montenegro lost the race with Albania, the European Parliament office opens in Tirana

AUTHOR:M.J. GDNUS

The European Parliament Office for the Western Balkans will be opened in Tirana, the European institution decided after months of consideration.

The aim of opening the office is to increase engagement in the Balkans, with the aim of overseeing the enlargement process.

According to Pobjeda, since May last year, the European Parliament has been deliberating whether to open the office in Podgorica or Tirana. The decision ultimately fell on Albania.

-In the context of heightened geopolitical tensions and the renewed momentum of EU enlargement, the new parliament office in Tirana will serve as a key contact point between the European Parliament and national parliaments, civil society and local partners in the Western Balkans, the European Parliament said after the decision was adopted.

The office will, they added, promote the Parliament's positions and activities, especially in relation to EU accession, and will support democracy and institutional reforms in the region.

-It will also help prepare and follow up official visits by MEPs, while strengthening cooperation with other EU actors on the ground, as well as with international and civil society organisations. The European Parliament has consistently supported the European perspective of the Western Balkans, recognising its strategic importance for regional stability and the wider European project. The establishment of the office reflects the EU's broader strategy to deepen engagement with candidate countries. The vital need to strengthen the EU's partnership in the Western Balkans has become increasingly clear in view of the current geopolitical challenges, including Russia's war in Ukraine, they stated.