A new Athens–Tirana roadmap is set to be charted jointly on December 16 by Giorgos Gerapetritis and Albania’s new Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Eliza Spiropali, who is visiting the Greek capital for the first time since taking office. High on the agenda of the two foreign ministers’ meeting in Athens next month will be discussions on the delimitation of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), following previous talks in June with Spiropali’s predecessor, Igli Hasani, immediately after Rama’s (triumphant) reelection for a fourth term, with the popular mandate focused on EU accession by 2030.
The long-standing issue of the Greek-Albanian EEZ is gaining new momentum against the backdrop of broader regional activity regarding maritime boundary agreements, with ongoing and future energy projects in view. Greece and Albania had already agreed in 2020 to submit the EEZ dispute to the International Court of Justice in The Hague, while Hasani had stated to NEA (May 31, 2025) that regarding the EEZ issue, “the Albanian government remains open and fully committed to promoting dialogue on all pending bilateral matters.” Energy and interconnectivity will undoubtedly be part of the upcoming Gerapetritis–Spiropali consultations, as the Albanian minister emphasizes her country’s national goal of completing EU accession negotiations by 2027—a year in which Greece will also hold the presidency of the European Council in the second half, with a focus on EU enlargement and the European perspective for the Western Balkans.
Diplomatic circles have recently referred to Albania’s accession progress as moving at an “exceptional pace,” especially since the EU opened the last accession chapter just days ago, allowing the Albanian Foreign Ministry to achieve its target of “full opening by 2025.”
Focus on the Western Balkans
During yesterday’s informal dinner in Brussels, attended by Giorgos Gerapetritis on the sidelines of the Foreign Affairs Council—which meets today to address developments in the Middle East, Ukraine, the Sahel, and Sudan—the Western Balkans were at the center of discussions. The Greek foreign minister expressed to his counterparts Greece’s intention, within the framework of its EU presidency, to take the initiative regarding the European trajectory of the Western Balkans, in line with the vision to be presented to the region’s populations.
Through its foreign minister, the Greek Foreign Ministry has made clear that it considers it essential to prioritize the Western Balkans in the presidential agenda, given the region’s highly complex situation due to rising tensions and nationalism.
For Greek foreign policy, EU enlargement through the European integration of the Western Balkans is a matter of utmost sensitivity, aimed at accelerating the process initiated 22 years ago under Greek initiative, with the Thessaloniki Agenda, as Gerapetritis recently emphasized at the Berlin Process Summit in London. Albania and Montenegro currently lead the accession race, while Athens stresses Greece’s support for the process and the need to complete all accession steps in full respect of EU law, international law, democracy, and good neighborly relations.
