Germany and France push fast‑track EU accession at Balkan summit

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron travelled to Montenegro for an EU‑West Balkan summit and unveiled a joint position paper aimed at accelerating the EU enlargement process for the six Balkan candidates. The proposal calls for a step‑by‑step integration, rewarding progress on accession criteria with access to the EU single market and observer roles in EU institutions, and urges the EU to focus on the substance of reforms rather than procedural steps.

The initiative, which also covers Moldova, follows Merz’s recent push for an ‘associate membership’ for Ukraine. Merz said the EU must “show that it is capable and willing to enlarge,” while Macron stressed the region’s strategic importance for Europe’s energy, security and migration routes. Russia’s President Vladimir Putin dismissed the move as a non‑issue for Russia. The paper notes that Montenegro is closest to completing negotiations by the end of 2026, with Albania potentially following by 2027, provided reforms continue.

The German‑French effort seeks to revive momentum in a process that has stalled for over a decade, aiming to create incentives for faster reforms and a simplified negotiation framework for the Western Balkans.