DW: Albania and Montenegro are getting closer to EU membership

2025-11-04 22:08:00, Aktualitet CNA

The European Commission praised the progress made by Albania, Montenegro, Ukraine and Moldova towards EU membership.

Once a year, the EU assesses the reform efforts of candidate countries for membership. In the latest report, the European Commission praised the progress made by Albania, Montenegro, Ukraine and Moldova towards EU membership, while harshly criticizing Serbia and Georgia.

"EU enlargement is in our interest," said EU High Representative Kaja Kallas during the presentation of the Commission's annual report on the efforts of candidate countries in Brussels on Tuesday. "Membership in the European Union remains a fair, difficult and merit-based process. However, admitting new countries by 2030 is now a realistic goal," said Kallas.

EU Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos also said that the accession of several countries is "a real possibility in the coming years." However, she said, Serbia has slowed down the pace of reforms required for accession, and Georgia is considered a candidate for accession "only on paper."

The report also contained assessments for other Western Balkan countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, and Kosovo.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU is more determined than ever to achieve enlargement. "But this must and will remain a performance-based process," the German politician added.

Albania and Montenegro are approaching EU membership

Albania is considered likely to conclude accession negotiations by the end of 2027. According to the new analysis, Montenegro is further along in the EU accession process. It is estimated that Montenegro could be ready to conclude accession negotiations by the end of 2026, if it continues at the current pace of reforms.

EU Council President António Costa said Montenegro's aim to conclude negotiations by the end of next year appears credible, provided the country continues its commitment and intensive work on the necessary reforms. He believes Montenegro could become the EU's 28th member state in 2028.

However, the conclusion of negotiations does not mean that a country can actually join the EU. This is because all EU member states must agree to and ratify the accession treaties negotiated by the European Commission. In France, for example, a referendum may be held before ratification.

Is the EU accession process taking too long?

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has breathed new life into long-neglected efforts to expand the EU. Because of Russian aggression in Ukraine and competition with China, Brussels sees enlargement as a geopolitical priority.

But both in Brussels and in Germany the very long decision-making processes within the EU are viewed with concern. The main reason is the risk that countries that do not have membership prospects could create closer partnerships with rivals in the EU system, China or Russia. "People are starting to lose faith in a quick future in the EU," German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul recently warned at a meeting with the countries of the Western Balkans.

With the potential EU enlargement, Brussels is also aiming for reforms to ensure its decision-making ability. In recent years, countries like Hungary have repeatedly blocked the EU's work and undermined the rule of law in the country. EU Commissioner Marta Kos said the EU wants to implement "stronger safeguards" to prevent this from happening again./ DW