Several Balkan countries are candidates for membership in the European Union. Some of them could join the twenty-seven member countries by 2030.
An enlargement of the European Union by 2030. This is the theme of this forum which was held in Athens and attended by the Minister of European Affairs of Montenegro. The country submitted its application in 2008, obtained candidate status in 2010. And it has been patient ever since.
“The new government gives us new momentum, new energy and it is the first time after several years that we benefit from political stability and a consensus on European integration. So, in the first 100 days of government, we have shown that we have an open dialogue, not only with the political majority, but also with the opposition regarding the European path“, explains Maida Gorčević, Minister of European Affairs of Montenegro.
For others, too, the road to membership is long and strewn with pitfalls. This is the case of another Balkan country: Kosovo, which has not yet obtained candidate status. Some member countries of the European Union are not in favor of its membership.
“Compared to other countries, we also have additional obstacles, which makes it more difficult for us in this supposedly equal race. We are the only country that does not yet have candidate status. We are still struggling to gain recognition from five EU members“, explains Besnik Bislimi, Deputy Prime Minister of Kosovo in charge of Europe.
In total, apart from Kosovo, nine countries are officially candidates for membership in the European Union: Turkey, Serbia, Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Georgia and Ukraine. The process of talks with Kyiv is expected to begin soon.
‘The Western Balkans region is outside the European Union, and I’m not sure that in the long term the EU, not just the Western Balkans, but the EU, can afford that,’ said Marko Stucin, State Secretary for European Affairs of Slovenia.
After a wave of accessions in the 2000s, the process of enlargement of the European Union is progressing slowly for the candidate countries.
Brussels, for whom enlargement was described as “vital” by Ursula von der Leyen, expects them in particular to undertake serious institutional and political reforms.