EU Accelerates West Balkans Enlargement, Montenegro Eyes 2028 Membership

At a summit in Tivat, Montenegro, European Union leaders pledged to speed up the accession process for the Western Balkan states. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the Union aims to grow in the coming years and highlighted Montenegro’s target to join by 2028, hoping Albania will follow soon. The enlargement will remain performance‑based but more dynamic, rewarding reforms with tangible benefits such as access to the EU internal market and participation in the European payment area SEPA.

The EU has already disbursed €675 million for growth projects in the region, with a further €540 million tranche earmarked for fast‑internet, railway electrification, and preschool education. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron supported a German‑French proposal for step‑by‑step integration, including observer status for candidate countries in EU institutions. Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama welcomed the initiative but called it insufficient, urging a stronger political commitment.

Overall, the summit underscored the EU’s strategic interest in binding the six Western Balkan states—Montenegro, Albania, North Macedonia, Serbia, Bosnia‑Herzegovina, and Kosovo—to the Union, with the aim of full membership for the entire region.