Full story
EU-Western Balkans Summit
European Union and Western Balkans leaders are meeting in Montenegro’s coastal town of Tivat to discuss how to expand the bloc, with a central focus on Montenegro’s bid for EU membership.
“European Council President António Costa endorsed a simplification of the EU's rules on accepting new members, saying the bloc needs to "accelerate" its enlargement to show Western Balkan partners it is "serious" about turning their EU ambitions into a reality”
European Council President António Costa said in Serbia that, during times of “global geopolitical uncertainty and economic instability,” the enlargement of the EU represents “not just an opportunity; it is a geostrategic necessity for Europe.”
The summit brings together European officials including French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, alongside heads of EU candidate countries in the Balkans.
Montenegro, which has set an ambitious goal of becoming the 28th EU member by 2028, has pursued reforms since joining NATO in 2017 and is working through EU accession “chapters” across 35 policy areas.
The EU has already established a working group tasked with drafting an accession treaty for Montenegro, a sign in the coverage that membership is attainable.
Costa’s rule-change push
Ahead of the summit, Costa backed proposals to simplify EU accession rules, arguing the bloc needs to “accelerate” enlargement to show Western Balkan partners it is “serious” about turning their EU ambitions into a reality.
Speaking exclusively to Euronews from Tivat, Costa said, “We currently need to vote (...) more than 40 times to deliver in all the process,” and floated ways to reduce decision-making stages.
Costa also argued that “I personally believe that we don't need unanimity to open chapters and clusters,” while requiring unanimity only to close them, referring to 33 accession chapters grouped into six thematic clusters.
The coverage ties the push for procedural changes to the EU’s reliance on unanimous approval at multiple stages, which gives governments veto power, and to the history of vetoes affecting North Macedonia’s EU bid.
In the same reporting, Costa described transitional arrangements as a tool to make future enlargements more manageable, saying, “We learned from the previous enlargement process that we always adopted transitional clauses on policies like agriculture and freedom of movement.”
Momentum, but safeguards
The summit is framed as part of a broader effort to secure the EU’s “next frontier,” with European Council President António Costa saying there is “clear momentum on enlargement” as Montenegro drafts its EU treaty.
“European Council President António Costa has backed proposals to simplify the European Union’s enlargement process, arguing that the bloc must accelerate accession procedures to demonstrate to Western Balkan partners that it is serious about turning their European aspirations into reality”
The reporting says Montenegro is drafting its EU treaty while Albania is moving ahead, and that Moldova and Ukraine have unlocked the first round of negotiations, as Brussels accelerates efforts to advance membership for countries seeking to join the bloc.
A separate account says Montenegro is pulling ahead of several contenders, with EU flags and Montenegro’s red-and-gold banner lining winding Adriatic roads as delegations arrived for the annual EU-Western Balkans Summit.
That coverage says Montenegro’s progress prompted the EU’s enlargement commissioner to flag the possibility of completing technical negotiations by the end of the year, clearing the way for it to become the 28th EU state by the end of 2028.
In the same set of reporting, the summit is expected to introduce new safeguards to ensure member nations adhere to EU norms, and it is described as the first gathering of EU leaders since Hungary’s former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán was defeated in an election.
