Minister for European Affairs Strand to visit Western Balkans

Minister for European Affairs and Ownership Steering Joakim Strand will visit Montenegro and North Macedonia on 1–2 October. During the visit, Minister Strand will meet with his counterparts, other political leaders and representatives of civil society organisations. The aim of the visit is to strengthen relations with EU candidate countries in the Western Balkans. Finland supports the aspirations of the region’s countries for EU membership.

On Wednesday 1 October, Minister Strand will meet in Podgorica with Minister for European Affairs of Montenegro Maida Gorčević, Deputy Prime Minister for International Relations and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ervin Ibrahimović and President of Parliament Andrija Mandić, as well as representatives of civil society organisations. On Thursday 2 October, Minister Strand will meet with North Macedonia’s Minister for European Affairs Minister for European Affairs Orhan Murtezani, Minister for Foreign Affairs Timčo Mucunski and civil society organisations in Skopje. 

The purpose of the visit is to discuss Montenegro’s and North Macedonia’s EU accession processes and the related reforms. Minister Strand will also meet with Serbian Minister of European Integration Nemanja Starović at an informal dinner.

“Finland strongly supports the countries in the region in their progress towards EU membership. We encourage them to continue resolutely on the road to reform. It is important to remember that enlargement based on membership criteria strengthens not only those countries seeking membership but also the security and stability of the Union as a whole, bringing economic benefits as the single market expands,” said Minister Strand.

Finland supports EU enlargement based on jointly agreed principles, with special emphasis on the importance of democratic institutions and rule of law reforms. Of all candidate countries, Montenegro is the farthest along in the EU accession process and aims to join the Union by the end of 2028. Negotiations on North Macedonia’s accession to the EU began in summer 2022. To proceed to the next phase of negotiations, the country must ratify amendments to its constitution.

Inquiries: Alexander Lång, Special Adviser, tel. +358 295 160 866 and Heli Siivola, Senior Specialist for EU Affairs, tel. +358 50 576 7745, Prime Minister’s Office