Ana Pisonero, a European Commission (EC) spokesperson, told the Voice of America (VOA) that "the future of the entire Western Balkans is in the European Union," thus denying diplomatic sources who Reuters (RTRS) quoted as saying the EU disagreed on the accession of six Western Balkan countries.

On Tuesday, RTRS cited unnamed diplomats saying the member states could no longer agree on providing guarantees for the future membership of the Western Balkans, promised 18 years ago.

Pisonero said that „the European Commission is firmly committed to improving the accession process of the countries of the Western Balkans, including Albania and Northern Macedonia.“

„Both countries have fulfilled their obligations, and we fully support the formal start of accession negotiations by the end of the year, as EC President Ursula von der Layen said during her visit to the region. The future of the entire Western Balkans is in the EU,“ Pisonero added in a written statement to VOA.
She said the „enlargement policy is a strategic investment in the stability and security of Europe,“ adding the EU leaders had reiterated they were unequivocally committed to the European perspective of the Western Balkans.

Pisonero wrote that the upcoming summit in Slovenia on October 6 would be an important opportunity to confirm the Western Balkans’ European perspective, take practical steps towards further integration, and start implementing the economic and investment plan for the region.