EU accession close for Montenegro and Albania; Brussels says: “Prepare for enlargement”

Brussels –Montenegro and Albania are increasingly closer to the EU, in contrast to Georgia, which is moving away, and Turkey, which remains suspended in a situation that remains frozen, somewhat like Northern Macedonia. For Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, nothing is compromised; however, reforms need to be restarted. Ukraine and Moldova can count on EU support, but they must not waste time. This, in a nutshell, is the state of health of the EU candidate countries, as put in black and white by the EU executive in the enlargement package adopted today (November 4). 

“Overall, 2025 was a year of significant progress for EU enlargement,” said Marta Kos, Commissioner for Enlargement. “Montenegro, Albania, Ukraine, and Moldova stand out” for different reasons, but what they have in common is that “they advanced most on reforms over the past year.” At the current pace and quality of reforms, we may be able to conclude accession negotiations in the coming years.

Specifically, if everything continues as it has so far, Montenegro may be able to conclude the accession negotiations in 2026, while Albania is expected to conclude them by the end of 2027. For Tirana, however, everything depends “on maintaining the momentum of reforms and promoting an inclusive political dialogue,” the EU Commission notes. For Moldova, closing the accession negotiations by early 2028 appears to be an “ambitious but achievable” goal, but everything depends on the country’s ability to make the required reforms. It is less clear about Ukraine, for which the Commission takes note of Kyiv’s desire to close everything by the end of 2028 and says it is ready to support this effort, but warns: “an acceleration of the pace of reforms is required, notably with regards to the fundamentals, in particular rule of law.”

Kos: enlargement can happen soon; the EU must be ready

 “Enlargement is possible in the next few years,” Kos acknowledges in front of the members of the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, where she presented the annual report of the EU Executive. Here, Montenegro, Albania, Ukraine, and Moldova are presented as the most successful stories. She acknowledges that Montenegro and Albania could actually reach the twelve-star club first, within the timeframe declared by their respective governments. “Montenegro has 600,000 people, like Antwerp. Albania has 2.4 million people, like Rome. Are we really not capable of integrating three million people?” she asks rhetorically. Then she insists: ‘We must prepare our Union for a larger Union.” 

Kos therefore wants to be clear: “These reports should be read with the geopolitical background in mind. It means that the progress made by Ukraine and Moldova in the context of open, hybrid wars and interference deserves to be recognized and rewarded. In the European Parliament, the Commissioner for Enlargement renewed requests to allow the start of the accession negotiations for Ukraine and Moldova “by November.”  “For me, ambitions are more important than days and months. These countries have achieved things that coincide with their great ambitions, and when we talk about a merit-based process, Europe must also recognize this.”

Georgia, Serbia, and Turkey in reverse, and no progress

For countries cited as success stories, some instead are making waves for diametrically opposite reasons. “Georgia is a candidate country in name only“, but not in fact, the Commission and its Enlargement Commissioner said. The reason is the domestic political crisis that has already been the grounds for censure by the European Council. “Accession negotiations with Turkey have been at a standstill since 2018,” reads the conclusion of the EU executive, which sees no progress of any kind. Despite Turkey’s paralysis, the dossier remains open, awaiting movement in either direction. In Serbia, “reforms have slowed down significantly,” and to ensure that the EU perspective is not jeopardized, in addition to restarting reforms, “it is urgent to reverse the declining trend in freedom of expression and the erosion of academic freedom.”

https://www.eunews.it/en/2025/09/02/eu-wants-enlargement-its-citizens-less-so/

For Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, and Kosovo, there is still much to be done

For the other candidate countries, the situation is one of work to be done. Nothing is precluded, but nothing has yet been achieved. Bosnia and Herzegovina still needs to finalize and implement judicial reform to initiate negotiations. At the same time, North Macedonia needs to make further constitutional changes to take into account the needs of minorities, particularly the Bulgarian minority. For Kosovo, the question of normalizing relations with Serbia remains.

In Parliament, there is no shortage of doubts

The only thing that everyone seems to agree on in the European Parliament is that “at present, the only ones really ready to join are Albania and Montenegro,” says Marjan Sarec (RE), the rapporteur responsible for Montenegro. On the rest, positions and moods differ. Petras Austrevicius (RE) laments that, on the subject of enlargement, “we have gone from a narrow road to a motorway,” calling for gradual accession rather than forced and accelerated accession. Antonio Tanger-Correa (PfE) expresses a similar concept and sees “a double standard” between the concessions made to Ukraine and Moldova and the process for the Western Balkan countries. In this sense, Ondrej Kolar (EPP), responsible for Bosnia and Herzegovina, warns: “Many people have lost faith in Europe because of the continuous postponement,” and something should be given to these countries. As far as Serbia is concerned, the socialist Tonino Picula (S&D) is disinclined to make concessions: “Intentions are no longer enough. Reforms must not just be promises; they must be done.” Finally, Nacho Sanchez Amor (S&D) warns on Turkey: “Let’s not close the dossier. There is a part of civil society that is eager for Europe, and closing the dossier would mean killing hope.”

Enlargement as a geo-strategic investment

 A European Union with more than 27 member states is the way forward. “It is the political priority of this Commission and a geopolitical investment,” trumpets EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas. She is satisfied with the progress made in those candidate countries seen as neighbors for a twelve-star membership. “An enlargement can likely take place by 2030,” she confirms.