Brussels: Europe and the Arabs

It is the most important day in the annual calendar for the enlargement of the European Union; the day the European Commission publishes its reports on this subject. This is what António Costa, President of the European Council, said in a statement distributed in the capital of the unified bloc. Costa added, "From the very first days of my term as President of the Council, I made the enlargement of the Union one of my top priorities. I began my term on December 1st in Ukraine, and two days later, on December 3rd, I met with all the leaders of the Western Balkans here in Brussels. It is a priority I firmly believe in. The current geopolitical context makes this priority even more urgent and necessary for the European Union. Why? In an era of geopolitical uncertainty and economic instability, EU enlargement means a safer, stronger, and more peaceful Europe, both internally and globally. Enlargement is the best investment we can make today for our future. If you read the Enlargement Report today, you will find a powerful statement: 'This is the first Commission term since 2010-2014 in which enlargement is a realistic prospect.' This is our goal—my goal—for the coming years. I will start with the basics: Ukraine, Moldova, and the Western Balkans." It belongs to the European Union. 2025 was a year of tangible progress for our enlargement partners. We witnessed tireless work yielding concrete results.

Montenegro made the most progress, and its ambition to conclude negotiations by the end of 2026 now seems reasonable, provided it maintains the same commitment and intensive work on the required reforms. I believe Montenegro has the potential to be the "28th in 28th place."

Moldova and Ukraine have also made remarkable progress. Ukraine—a country at war—and Moldova, which faces repeated attacks on its democracy and sovereignty, completed their Commission's progress review in record time within a single year.

Albania has also made tremendous efforts and significantly strengthened its accession path. I believe we can still see further progress from Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and North Macedonia by the end of the year—2025 could be a pivotal year for them. This means that, for us, three years after submitting its application for membership, Kosovo is expected to receive a positive signal.

It is an integral part of the perspective. Western Balkans enlargement. The EU is helping countries wishing to enlarge to meet all membership criteria and has promoted their gradual integration, with the aim of improving their readiness for membership.

The €6 billion Growth Plan for the Western Balkans and Moldova is achieving tangible results and changing the daily lives of their people through:
Joining the European Payments Area
Reducing waiting times at borders
Expanding digital networks
And, starting in January 2026, Moldova and Ukraine will join the EU's free roaming area.

Enlargement today is not just an abstract vision or a wish list, but a transformative process. It is essential to consolidate democracy and the rule of law, which are both prerequisites for successful enlargement. We must be more rigorous in applying the criteria and more efficient and realistic in the process.

We must continue the path of fundamental reforms, in line with the merit-based approach, and in parallel, prepare the EU to be ready, effective, and capable of welcoming new members. It is not about adding another step; it is about implementing both paths. In parallel, because both are essential for the candidate countries and for the European Union. This is an internal duty that cannot be avoided or postponed indefinitely.

The success of the European Union stemmed from the courageous and insightful political will of our predecessors to overcome centuries of war. Today, we must demonstrate the same courageous and insightful will. The accession partners must decide whether they possess this resolve to move forward with their transformation towards the European Union, or whether they prefer to remain prisoners of a painful historical legacy.

The European Union, too, must decide whether it can afford to waste any more time, and whether it is prepared to evolve and adapt to current geopolitical realities. I firmly believe that Europe must not become a museum of past glories. I call upon you all today to continue working diligently and to implement the necessary reforms to transform this realistic prospect of enlargement into a tangible reality for the peoples of the Western Balkans, Ukraine, and Moldova.