EU enlargement in the Western Balkans is an acid test for Europe. It will determine what influence the EU will have in the coming decades. Only by offering the Western Balkan states a credible EU perspective and forging closer ties with them can we secure long-term geopolitical leverage.

When it comes to geopolitical adversaries and rivals, what is at stake is nothing less than our core interests: our continent’s security, influence and capacity to act. We must therefore pick up the pace now in the EU accession process. As the “frontrunner” in the EU accession process, Montenegro serves as a prime example of successful progress towards the EU through the Berlin Process, the Foreign Ministers Meeting of which I am travelling to Montenegro today to attend.

EU enlargement is crucial for our European security and future. As EU member states, we must honour our promises to the candidate countries. Those which make progress on reforms must also make progress in the accession process. In the face of geopolitical challenges, we must quickly overcome resistance rather than getting bogged down in highly specific demands on candidate countries.

At the same time, the countries of the Western Balkans must resolutely push forward with the reforms they have begun if they want to become part of the EU. This includes the rule of law, the fight against organised crime and corruption, closer ties among the countries – and, in particular, an appropriate way of dealing with their painful past. Only those countries which set the course towards reconciliation in the region can move closer to European cooperation within the EU.

With Italy, we have an important EU partner at our side when it comes to firmly anchoring the Western Balkans in the EU. During my visit to Rome tomorrow, I will discuss with my colleague Antonio Tajani what we can do to bring the Western Balkan states closer to the EU even faster – and how we as the EU in Brussels must position ourselves to tackle this task institutionally. At the same time, I intend to discuss in Rome how we can tackle the challenges facing Europe – from greater competitiveness to growth and our common security.

Germany and Italy are more aligned than ever on their foreign and economic policy priorities: together, we account for 40% of European industrial production. That is why we are working together to strengthen Europe as an industrial hub in the face of global competition. To achieve this, we need an EU that is better able to take action and that sets the right priorities for our prosperity and security – including in the EU budget for the coming years.

During my stay in Rome, I will also visit the Vatican to meet Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin and Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher. The Holy See has a global diplomatic network – and, through its faith, special access to many people and regions around the world. This week, Pope Leo XIV spoke out in favour of patient dialogue and creative efforts for peace. The Holy See is an important partner when it comes to placing peace at the centre of international diplomacy: After all, the German Government also places people and their dignity at the heart of its humanitarian efforts – especially in times of war, conflict and hardship. This is especially true for Ukraine, where people long for nothing more than a swift end to the war and to Putin’s fantasies of subjugation.

Finally, on Friday I will travel to Slovenia on my first official visit. In my discussions with the new government and my colleague Tone Kajzer, it is particularly important to me to talk about how we can further expand our close economic, political and social ties with Slovenia, which serves as an important bridge between central and south-eastern Europe. As a country that still remembers the often arduous accession process from its own experience and that, at the same time, has become a driving force for European cohesion during its more than 20 years of EU membership, Slovenia serves as a role model for EU accession candidates.