The Undersecretary of State for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Maria Tripodi, participated today — on behalf of Minister Tajani — in Belfast at the meeting of Foreign Ministers of the Berlin Process. The meeting was attended by representatives from Germany, France, Austria, Poland, Slovenia, Croatia, Greece and Bulgaria.
The event represented an important opportunity to reinvigorate cooperation and regional integration in the Western Balkans, with a particular focus on security and migration challenges, ahead of the Summit of Heads of State and Government scheduled for 22 October 2025, which Minister Tajani will attend on behalf of Italy.
During the session dedicated to regional and European integration, Undersecretary Tripodi reaffirmed Italy’s strong support for the accession of the Western Balkans to the European Union and the importance of regional cooperation as a driving force for access to the Single Market. Italian initiatives aimed at supporting partner countries’ reforms were presented, with particular reference to Italy’s role in the informal group “Friends of the Western Balkans” and, most recently, Minister Tajani’s statements on the margins of the United Nations High-Level Week in New York, where Italy’s commitment to promoting enlargement as a strategic investment for European stability was reaffirmed.
“The process launched eleven years ago is not yet complete. Italy strongly hopes for the completion of the Regional Common Market, inviting all regional partners to commit to its implementation, confident in the multiple benefits it will bring to the six countries and in the significant contribution it will make to the European integration of the Western Balkans,” stated the Undersecretary.
“Italy will continue to do its part, committing to work with all partners with determination and responsibility, so that the European perspective for the region can finally be realised,” concluded Tripodi.
