They also addressed the key issues discussed at European Council meetings and preparations for the forthcoming European Council meeting in December: the issue of illegal migration and the situation at the Belarusian-Polish border, rising energy prices, the situation in the Western Balkan region and the enlargement dynamics, and the issue of the enlargement of the Schengen area. They agreed that in order to intensify reform efforts in the Western Balkans, an even more concrete and tangible perspective of EU membership was urgently needed.