The European Committee of the Regions (CoR) has held its first meetings with local and regional politicians from Albania, Kosovo, and Moldova.
The aim was to accelerate the three countries’ preparations for accession to the European Union.
It is hoped contacts between mayors and councillors from the EU and from Albania, Kosovo, and Moldova will help smooth their path on the road towards EU membership.
The meetings formed part of the annual enlargement day conference organised by the European Committee of the Regions.
The CoR formally upgraded its dialogue with Albania to a Joint Consultative Committee (JCC), establishing a fixed membership on both the EU and Albanian side and a structured work programme for biannual meetings.
It has also created dedicated working groups for Kosovo and Moldova. These will also meet twice a year, under newly established work programmes.
Common issues for cooperation across all CoR bodies dealing with the enlargement countries will be democracy and the rule of law, cross-border cooperation, and local economic development.
Each of the meetings last week (27 May) reviewed local and regional preparations for EU membership, and addressed specific local ‘green’ challenges – climate adaptation in the case of Albania, environmental degradation in Kosovo, and the energy transition for Moldova.
The chairs of the JCC Albania and Working Groups on Kosovo and Moldova described the enhanced collaboration as a significant step towards
“deeper integration and more effective preparation for EU accession, ensuring that local and regional voices will be heard at the EU level and helping local communities to seize the opportunities offered by EU integration.”
The CoR has also decided to establish a Working Group on Bosnia and Herzegovina. Its inaugural meeting will take place later this year.
Commenting, Antonio Mazzeo, president of the Regional Council of Tuscany and co-chair of the Joint Consultative Committee with Albania, told this site: “This Joint Consultative Committee demonstrates that the connection between territories is the most genuine and strongest driver of the European project.
“In this Committee, Albania and the EU sit at the same table, as equals. And as equals, they will build common solutions on issues that affect people’s daily lives: climate, spatial planning, public services, and sustainability. This is the Europe of regions becoming real. It is the diplomacy of local cooperation advancing.”
Gillian Coughlan, a member of Cork County Council in Ireland and chair of the Working Group on Kosovo, also noted: “Local leadership can heal division.”
She added,”As former Mayor of Cork County I’ve seen it in Ireland’s journey from conflict to peace. Mayors became symbols of unity, building trust through shared purpose and peace from the ground up. The challenges in Kosovo are real, but so is the power to heal and lead ahead. Let’s stand together, lead calmly, and prove that peace built locally is peace that lasts for generations.”
