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President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, has stated that he will participate in Euronews’EU Enlargement Summiton November 4, together with the leaders of the candidate nations for a one-of-a-kind European political gathering in Brussels.

The summit will, for the first time, gather the leaders of both the EU and nations seeking membership in a special discussion about Europe’s expansion towards the East, at a critical time for the European Union and the aspiring countries, ranging from Ukraine and Moldova to the Western Balkans.

Highlighting the fresh drive behind Europe’s strategic expansion, Euronews’ summit will feature European Council president Antonio Costa and EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos, along with the leaders of Moldova and Serbia, Maia Sandu and Aleksandar Vučić, as well as three prime ministers: Edi Rama from Albania, Milojko Spajić from Montenegro, and Hristijan Mickoski from North Macedonia.

President Costa will give a keynote address to the attending leaders and the entire Europe, similar to the European Commission’s presentation on the same day of its EU expansion strategy and the annual review of the progress achieved by the Western Balkans, Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia in their respective journeys toward joining the EU.

Leaders from the Western Balkans and the president of Moldova will jointly present and discuss their nations’ approaches to EU integration, opportunities, and obstacles, within the framework of their countries’ aspirations and ambitions for Europe at a crucial time for the continent’s future.

The conflict in Ukraine has introduced a renewed sense of urgency and momentum into the EU’s expansion efforts, affecting both the European Union and the candidate nations.

The summit will specifically examine the opportunities and obstacles facing the Western Balkans and Eastern Europe, as well as the European Union, by assessing the shared advantages for Europe’s democracy, economy, and strategic independence.

The Euronews summit occurs only a month following European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen emphasizing in her annual State Of The Union address that “a more extensive and powerful Union” including Ukraine, Moldova, and the Western Balkans is “a security assurance for everyone.”

This month, she gained more momentum for the accession process and, in a subtle way, for Euronews’ EU expansion summit by visiting each of the Western Balkan countries to emphasize the EU’s backing for the region’s entry into the 27-nation union.

Meanwhile, European Union leaders have continuously backed Sandu’s initiatives towards European integration despite ongoing Russian threats and propaganda efforts in Moldova.

Euronews will stream its major EU Enlargement Summit live across its TV and online channels, such as YouTube.