A summit between the EU and six Western Balkan nations kicked off Wednesday in the northeastern Italian city of Trieste facing the Adriatic Sea.

The summit will also see a trilateral summit of Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

The three leaders are expected to talk about the asylum crisis.

The summit on economic and political integration between the EU and the Western Balkans sees the participation of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia.

Also attending are several EU members, along with the European Commission and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

Gentiloni outlined the purpose of the summit in an editorial Wednesday, saying: "European security and prosperity are tightly linked to stability and development in the Balkans."

He noted several challenges facing the Balkans including terrorism, extremist radicalization and migratory flows.