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DW Analysis/ Western Balkans, all at once in the EU?

2025-12-17 21:09:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Should the countries of the Balkan region join the European Union at the same time, as Serbian President Aleksandar Vu?i? suggested?

Progress towards the enlargement process will be the main topic at the meeting (17.12.2025) in Brussels, between EU and Western Balkan leaders.

After the wars of the 1990s that devastated the Balkans, the European Union pledged in 2003 to admit seven Western Balkan countries into the bloc: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia.

Croatia joined the EU 10 years later.

Apart from Kosovo, which applied for membership in 2022, the other five countries are now officially candidate countries of the European Union.

How are things going?

More than a decade after Croatia joined the EU, enlargement in Brussels seems closer than ever.

Brussels has made its commitment to enlargement clear through clear signals, and now the question is no longer whether there will be new memberships, but which Western Balkan countries are ready to move forward and which will be left behind.

Montenegro, the smallest of the region's five candidate countries, is widely considered the frontrunner in the accession process, with Albania following closely behind.

According to EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos, Montenegro could technically complete the negotiations by the end of 2026, while Albania could do so a year later.

"Then we need 1-1.5 years to go through the ratification process. So, I am really optimistic that even during my mandate, which ends at the end of 2029, the European Union can have at least two new members," Kos recently said in an interview with DW.

In Serbia, the region's strongest economic candidate, the momentum for reform has noticeably waned. In response, President Aleksandar Vu?i? suggested last week, before traveling to Brussels for a meeting on Serbia's progress in the EU, that all Western Balkan countries should join the EU simultaneously.

But is this a viable scenario and would it be acceptable to Serbia's neighbors and the EU?

Montenegro leads the list

The EU enlargement process to include the Western Balkan countries has been slow for several reasons.

On the one hand, the Western Balkans still face unresolved bilateral issues, shortcomings in the rule of law and high levels of corruption. On the other hand, there has been reluctance and "enlargement fatigue" on the part of EU member states.

After many years of "overcoming obstacles", Montenegro improved key reforms two years ago and created a broad political consensus on EU membership. Both Podgorica and Brussels now aim to complete the accession process as soon as possible.

Finally, Montenegro marked a significant milestone, closing five accession chapters, which are prerequisites for joining the EU. However, the country still needs to meet the benchmarks for delivering final sentences in cases of high-level corruption and organised crime, appointing judicial officials at key levels, and filling vacant leadership positions in key institutions.

Local critics argue that the reforms are hasty and lacking in substance.

"No one can seriously claim that the system can be fundamentally changed within a few years," said Montenegrin Minister for European Integration, Maida Gorcevic.

"Criticism is legitimate if it accelerates reforms, but it is important to emphasize that progress today is measured by clear European indicators, not by political impressions, and Montenegro's progress is objectively confirmed by EU institutions," she told DW.

Albania's progress

Meanwhile, Albania has also accelerated the pace of reforms.

While the European Commission notes progress in judicial reform, it has stressed the need for further efforts to fight corruption and strengthen the rule of law.

But, as political analyst Florian Bieber points out, the outcome is far from certain and lasting reforms are still needed. "Albania is making a lot of reforms, at least formally, but in the context of having a very strong leader like Edi Rama, of course there are very serious democratic shortcomings. So there are some reservations, and it is unclear whether Albania will be able to close that gap and be really ready at the same time as Montenegro," he told DW.

Why does the EU want to expand?

For the European Union, enlargement is a matter of geostrategy and credibility.

According to a report by the European Policy Center, "Montenegro's integration would be a low-risk, high-impact way to show that the EU can deliver on its promises, reinforcing confidence in its leadership in times of geopolitical uncertainty."

"We are paying the price of not allowing these countries to join when they first wanted to join, by having an unstable region," Commissioner Kos told DW.

But EU enlargement is also seen as a geostrategic investment in Europe's security and progress, says Tinatin Akhvlediani, a researcher at the EU Foreign Policy Unit at the Center for European Policy Studies.

"If the Union does not accept these states, then other powers could intervene and exploit the region, using it as leverage against the European Union, including Russia and China," Akhvlediani told DW.

What do you think about the Serbian proposal?

So, if the pace of progress towards EU membership is so different across the region, where does this position Aleksandar Vu?i? and his proposal that all Western Balkan countries should join the bloc simultaneously?

Many analysts interpret the proposal as an attempt to slow down the entire integration process.

Within the European Commission, there seems to be "little appetite" for this idea.

"Membership is a merit-based process. Each candidate should join when it is ready and meets the conditions and criteria set out in the EU Treaties, including the Copenhagen criteria. There are no predetermined deadlines. The process is driven by carrying out reforms and demonstrating sustainable results," a European Commission spokesperson told DW.

Each state draws its own line

Both Tinatin Akhvlediani and Florian Bieber emphasize that the enlargement process has always followed the "Regatta principle", meaning that countries seeking membership chart their own course and integration depends on their merits, reforms and fulfillment of technical criteria.

However, Bieber notes that the idea of ??simultaneous admission has several advantages.

"It would avoid the creation of external EU borders between the Western Balkan countries and prevent the importation of bilateral issues into the European Union," he says.

"However," Bieber adds, "there are serious shortcomings, because the pace of the slowest member - or candidate, more precisely - would dictate the speed for everyone. So, if Montenegro is ready to join the European Union in the coming years, this could be delayed by countries like Bosnia-Herzegovina or Kosovo, which could take another 10 years."

Montenegro is not willing to wait

The Albanian Prime Minister's Office had no comment on Vu?i?'s proposal by the time of publication of this article.

However, Montenegro reacted immediately, making it clear that it wants to move forward.

"Montenegro does not want to host anyone, nor does it expect anyone to host us," said Minister Gorcevic. "We are leaders in this process and we want to join the European Union when our results show that we are ready and deserve membership."

In the late hours of Tuesday (16.12.2025), it was announced that Serbia would not participate in Wednesday's summit in Brussels.

Vu?i? announced the decision himself, saying he was acting to protect Serbia's interests and adding that he made the decision "so that no one else would be blamed and the government would not be subjected to any pressure."/ DW