
Montenegro vs Ukraine: Merit-Based EU Enlargement for Some, Fast-Tracked for Others?
The small Balkan state has been waiting to be allowed into the European Union for over 15 years, whereas a country currently at war claims it could join in 2027.

The small Balkan state has been waiting to be allowed into the European Union for over 15 years, whereas a country currently at war claims it could join in 2027.

Despite years of negotiations, only Montenegro has made significant progress, while the other candidate countries lag behind in the EU accession process.

The Commission thinks enlargement in the next five years is realistic. “All this is happening thanks to the Hungarian presidency,” the Albanian PM commented.

Vučić said his focus is the country’s economic progress, peace, and stability.

The conservative opposition scored a major victory over the ruling pro-EU socialists in both presidential and parliamentary elections, marking the Macedonian Left’s biggest defeat yet.

“Today, the EU needs the Balkans more than the other way around,” the Hungarian prime minister said during his trip to Serbia and Bosnia, signing strategic partnerships and advocating for the region’s rapid EU accession.

Bosnia and Herzegovina, if given the official go-ahead, will join a league of EU hopefuls which presently includes the likes of Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Albania, Moldova, Ukraine, and Turkey.