News: Open Balkans Summit calls for EU membership, but criticisms are not lacking

At the last summit of the Open Balkans initiative held in Belgrade on 2 September - during which Hungary was a participant for the first time -, Serbia, Albania and North Macedonia called for European Union to receive assistance in order to face the winter and the problems related to electricity costs.

During the meeting, the Prime Minister of Albania, Edi Rama, strongly criticized the European institutions, which, he said, during the period of crisis have disregarded the hopes of accession.

The Albanian Prime Minister had already been very critical of the Union’s work at the Bled Strategic Conference in August, criticizing the Union’s vaccine distribution policy, which have penalised the Western Balkans.