The European Union Enlargement Forum took place today in Brussels, an event that brought together European leaders, representatives of candidate countries, policy experts and civil society actors.
This forum took place in parallel with the publication of the annual Enlargement package and progress reports, emphasizing the importance of reforms and the membership perspective for the aspirant countries.
The Commissioner for Enlargement in the European Union, Marta Kos, emphasized during the debate that candidate countries such as Montenegro and Albania can be included in the process, even without major internal reforms, but for this the support of member states is necessary.
“Montenegro is such a small country, of course we can include Montenegro without major internal reforms. We can also include Albania with three million inhabitants, and together we will have 6.6 million – in 2004 we were 70 million, and we need this,” Kos said.
She called for concrete support from member states, emphasizing the importance of facts and transparency.
“You may be for enlargement, but most people are not. Help us, help me to complete the decision. Yes, this is your time to shine,” Kos said.
Kos, assessed the year 2025 as a period of considerable progress. According to her, Montenegro, Albania, Ukraine and Moldova have made significant advances in key reforms, and with the current pace of reforms, accession negotiations could be concluded in the coming years.
“Montenegro has closed four negotiation chapters and aims to conclude them by 2026. Albania has made significant progress and aims to close negotiations by 2027,” Kos said.
On the other hand, Serbia has been criticized for slowing reforms and increasing political tensions, while North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Turkey, and Georgia face various challenges that hinder advancement.
Meanwhile, the debate did not give much space to Kosovo.
According to the Kosovo Progress Report for 2025, Kosovo has had limited progress and stagnation.
The report highlights that Kosovo has made limited progress in areas such as judicial independence, media freedom, and the efficiency of public administration.
The report emphasizes that political blockades and polarization have hindered the normal functioning of democratic institutions.
Acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti has called for the path to be opened for obtaining candidate status, emphasizing that Kosovo has made important steps towards European integration.