"More Italian presence in the Balkans" and "acceleration of the European integration process for the entire region". These are the priorities announced by the Italian government in a conference held in Trieste where ambassadors, representatives of institutions and the business world were present. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said that the admission of the countries of the Western Balkans to the EU becomes more important than ever after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
"It was important to reaffirm the commitment of the European Union during the meeting held on December 6 in Tirana to support the region with concrete measures. However, we cannot stop only at economic measures. It is urgent that the European Union develops a new vision towards this region and places the expansion in the Western Balkans among its priorities".
As for Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, he emphasized the increase of the Italian presence in the region.
"This conference should serve to unite all Italian forces in different sectors, business and politics, also with the blessing of the EU, to launch an increasingly strong presence of our country in a region that must be also part of the European market".
For the ambassador of Italy in our country, Fabricio Bucci, Albania is the gateway to the Balkans.
"The Albanian government wants to make Albania a Singapore of the Balkans. It wants to move from call centers to digital centers with big investments in the digital sphere. Albania represents the bridge for the penetration of our system throughout the Balkans".
Also present at the conference was the EU Enlargement Commissioner, Oliver Varhely, who reiterated the need for a safer Western Balkans for all of Europe.