The European Parliament has confirmed that it will open a regional office based in Albania. The opening of this office aims to further strengthen engagement with the Western Balkans.
“In the context of increasing geopolitical tensions and the renewed moment after the EU’s enlargement, the new European Parliament office in Tirana will serve as a key point of contact between the European Parliament and national parliaments, civil society, and local partners in the Western Balkans,” reads the statement issued by the European Parliament.
This office will promote the positions and activities of the European Parliament, especially regarding EU accession, and will support democracy and institutional reforms in the region.
The opening of the office will also serve to prepare and follow up on official visits by Members of the European Parliament, while strengthening cooperation with other EU actors on the ground, as well as with international organizations and civil society.
“The vital need to strengthen the EU’s partnerships in the Western Balkans has become even clearer given the current geopolitical challenges, not only with Russia’s war in Ukraine,” the European Parliament’s statement adds.
The establishment of the European Parliament’s regional office in Tirana underscores the Parliament’s strong commitment to supporting the countries of the Western Balkans on their path to EU membership, fostering stability, democracy, and closer ties between the EU and its neighbors.
It is unofficially reported that Podgorica, the capital of Montenegro, was also in the running for the office, but the decision was made to open the regional office in Tirana.
Additionally, the European Parliament has three operational offices: in New York, serving relations with the UN; in Jakarta, for relations with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations; and in Addis Ababa, for relations with the African Union.
The decision to open two additional offices (in Albania and Moldova) follows a previous decision by the Bureau of the Parliament to establish offices in Kyiv, Ukraine, and Panama to handle relations with Latin America and the Caribbean.
