Rome – Wadephul meets Tajani, EU enlargement and Europe’s security in focus

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul met today in Rome with his Italian counterpart, Antonio Tajani, to discuss issues related to the future of the European Union and Europe’s security.

EU enlargement in the Western Balkans was at the centre of the talks.

Germany and Italy support accelerating the accession process of the region’s countries to the EU.

Before the visit to Rome, Wadephul said Germany and Italy must work together to bring the Western Balkan countries closer to the European Union more quickly.

He described EU enlargement in this region as a very important issue for Europe and said that countries making progress on the required reforms should also see progress in the accession process.

Wadephul also stressed that the Western Balkan countries must continue reforms, particularly in the rule of law, the fight against organised crime and corruption, and cooperation among themselves.

Another topic of discussion was strengthening the European economy.

Germany and Italy are two of Europe’s main industrial countries and want to cooperate to make the European economy more competitive in international markets.

According to the German Foreign Ministry, the two countries together account for around 40% of Europe’s industrial production.

Berlin and Rome also want a European Union that is more capable of taking decisions and setting its economic and security priorities.

European security and support for Ukraine were also included in the talks.

The German Foreign Ministry announced before the meeting that support for Ukraine in the war against Russia would be one of the topics of Wadephul’s visit to Italy.

The meeting took place as part of Wadephul’s visit to Italy, after his participation in the Berlin Process foreign ministers’ meeting in Montenegro.

Germany and Italy this year mark the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations and have declared their intention to strengthen their cooperation on European, economic and security issues.