Прямой эфир. Смотрите на Euronews: Зеленский, Санду, Вучич будут защищать свои заявки на вступление в ЕС

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has connected live to the summit.

He's speaking in Ukrainian from an undisclosed location at the frontline.

Montenegro is positioning itself as the next country in line to join the European Union. 

Prime Minister Milojko Spajić previously expressed confidence that the country, which has just over 620,000 inhabitants, will become the EU’s 28th member by 2028. 

Spajić told Euronews earlier this year that Montenegro – a small country bordering Albania, Bosnia, Croatia, Kosovo and Serbia – is already functioning as if it were part of the EU.

He said Montenegro's plan is to close all accession chapters by the end of 2026, paving the way for full EU membership by January 2028. It would come 20 years after it started its application process, in 2008. 

Highlighting the nation’s economic progress, he stated: “We are very optimistic of our economic future. In the last four or five years, we have managed to double our GDP.” 

This could position Montenegro as a net contributor to EU funds rather than a recipient upon joining the bloc, he suggested.

Spajić, a former finance minister, co-founded centrist, pro-EU political party Europe Now!, in 2022, with now President Jakov Milatović. In the country’s 2023 parliamentary elections, it became the largest party with 25% of the vote. 

Fun fact: Montenegro – not (yet) a member of the Eurozone – unilaterally adopted the euro in 2002 as its de facto domestic currency in a bid to increase stability. 

António Costa also praised the "impressive progress" made by Ukraine and Moldova on the path to the EU.

"Ukraine - a country at war - and Moldova, facing repeated attacks on its democracy and sovereignty, have, in the course of this year, completed the screening of the aquis by the Commission at record speed", he said.

Albania applied for EU membership on 28 April 2009 and was granted candidate status in June 2014.

Here are some of the key topics that have defined the country’s path towards EU accession so far:

1. Migration. Albania’s cooperation with the EU on migration has become a central issue, particularly following its agreement with Italy to host offshore migrant centres. This move has effectively made border management and the externalisation of migration a part of its EU accession conditions.

2. Corruption and judicial reform. One of Rama’s main priorities has been to tackle corruption in the country. Last year’s European Commission enlargement report highlighted that corruption remains a serious concern. Public tenders have been at the centre of several corruption scandals in Albania in the past. Eliminating irregularities within the public administration is one of Brussels’ core demands in Albania’s EU accession process.

3. AI to help transparency. To accelerate the country’s EU accession, Rama’s government is employing AI-powered technology in an effort to align Albanian laws with EU standards more quickly and effectively. This is how Diella was created, Albania’s new AI minister. Rama argues that she could make Albania “a country where public tenders are 100% free of corruption” and help accelerate its accession to the EU. 

Edi Rama will join Euronews' Sasha Vakulina at 16:53 CET.

Prime Minister since 2024, Hristijan Mickoski has consistently emphasised his commitment to North Macedonia joining the European Union, describing EU accession as his country’s primary goal. 

Leader of a coalition ranging from centre to centre‑right, which includes a party representing the country’s Albanian minority, he has, however, been reluctant to implement the agreements resolving disputes with Greece and Bulgaria. 

He notably used the term “Macedonia” rather than “North Macedonia” following his appointment, describing the country’s constitutional name as “shameful.” 

Mickoski also criticised the agreement with Bulgaria, calling the decision by his predecessors a "political and strategic mistake" that has jeopardised the country’s European path and future. 

Last year, he accused the EU of attempting to "dictate" what North Macedonia should do and suggested that he would accept no further delays in membership talks. 

North Macedonia Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski will speak at 3pm CET.

"I believe that Montenegro can be the '28 at 28'," said António Costa, meaning the country could be the 28th EU member state by 2028.

"Montenegro has made the biggest progress, and their ambition to close negotiations by end of 2026 today looks credible, if they continue with the same commitment and intensive work on the required reforms."

Montenegro received the status of a candidate country in 2010 and opened the negotiations with the EU in 2012.

Euronews Chairman Pedro Vargas has delivered the introductory speech of our Enlargement Summit praising each candidate for the progress made in their ambition to join the bloc. Accession, he said, will "secure European compromise of lasting peace".

"Let us complete and reunite the continent, let's enlarge Europe," Vargas said.

"Since the first days of my mandate, I have made enlargement one of my top priorities. It is a priority that I deeply believe in. And the current geopolitical context makes this priority all the more urgent and necessary for the European Union", said António Costa, President of the European Council, during his keynote speech at Euronews EU Enlargement Summit.

"An enlarged European Union means a safer, stronger and more peaceful Europe, at home and in the world. Enlarging is the best investment we can make today for our future", he said.

The head of the European Council António Costa has reached the venue of the Euronews summit dedicated to Enlargement on Tuesday in Brussels.

Costa is known for his support of the enlargement process.

Picture by Romane Armangau

The Euronews' Enlargement Summit has begun.

Our two masters of ceremony, Maria Tadeo and Méabh Mc Mahon, take the stage to welcome the guests.

The first speaker will be António Costa, the president of the European Council, who has made enlargement a priority of his mandate.

Follow our live blog for updates.

The President of Moldova, Maia Sandu, has arrived at the Euronews enlargement summit in Brussels.

In September’s parliamentary elections, her pro-European Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) got a majority, seen as pivotal for the country's future on its path to EU membership.

Starting at 14:00, the summit will be an occasion for neighbourhood leaders to discuss their future in the European Union.

Picture by Romane Armangau

Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos just told the European Parliament's foreign affairs committee (AFET) that "the coming year will be a moment of truth for all candidate countries" with the EU executive set to insist on the "highest quality of reforms".

"Overall, 2025 was a good year for our work with candidate countries," Kos said, adding that "there have been significant advances on the EU path achieved so far by Montenegro, Albania, Moldova and Ukraine". 

"The coming year will be a moment of truth for all candidate countries, but especially those that presented ambitious plans to complete negotiations."

The four countries all aim to finish negotiations between the end of 2026 and the end of 2028.

"Future enlargements can only be successful if we ensure that the highest quality of reforms and put safeguards in place that reassure our citizens that the integrity of our union and democratic values are ensured," Kos said.

Moldova needs to improve and implement its legal framework to respect human rights, the European Commission report on enlargement published on Tuesday says.

While the legislative and institutional framework is "largely in place," and the implementation of the human rights action programme is underway, more efforts are expected by the EU executive.

"Detention conditions remain a concern, as does the treatment of people with disabilities in specialised institutions. Efforts to combat gender based violence should continue," the report says.

According to the European Commission's assessment, "the situation has sharply deteriorated" in Georgia, after the European Council concluded in 2024 that the country's EU accession process was de facto halted.

The Commission's report underlines a "serious democratic backsliding marked by a rapid erosion of the rule of law and severe restrictions on fundamental rights" and notes that current Georgian legislation is "severely limiting civic space, undermining freedom of expression and assembly, and violating the principle of non-discrimination."

According to the Commission, Georgian authorities must demonstrate a resolute commitment to reverse course and return to the EU accession path by reversing "their democratic backsliding". At the moment, the Commission considers Georgia "a candidate country in name only", reads the report.

91% of people in Albania support the accession of their country to the European Union, according to the latest survey on enlargement sentiment in the Western Balkans.

Albanian citizens generally hold a positive view of the EU and believe that membership could help drive economic development, reduce corruption, and provide funding for local projects. At the same time, 46% of those surveyed think Albania will join the EU in the coming five years while 26% extend the timeline to the next 15 years.

The Moldovan Parliament can "overall exercise its powers in an effective way" but the European Commission calls for further efforts to increase "transparency, accountability, integrity and overall effectiveness".

In particular, the Commission said in its enlargement report that Moldova's parliament should use "oversight tools" and make sure that the publication of activities, decisions and draft laws are timely and accompanied with documents.

On the last electoral turnout, the Commission assessed them as "well-managed despite unprecedented foreign interference, according to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe," the document reads.

"Extensive disinformation, particularly on social media, and partisan coverage in most media hindered voters’ ability to make an informed decision, and decisions to ban two parties on the eve of elections limited legal certainty," the document says.

When the European Commission proposed its ambitious proposal for a €2 trillion EU budget, the prospect of enlargement was palpable.

The new budget will run from 2028 until 2034, meaning one (or more) countries could easily join during that period. Since the budget is made up of national contributions, the accession of a new member state will inevitably alter the collection and distribution of EU funds, particularly cohesion funds, which benefit regions with lower purchasing power.

This is why Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has included a "specific revision clause" in her €2 trillion proposal that will be triggered when a candidate joins the bloc. The revision will be done according to the demographic and economic size of the newly admitted country.

"It worked in the past accessions, and it will work now," von der Leyen said in July.

Von der Leyen's draft, however, still needs to be negotiated by member states and the European Parliament, a no-holds-barred battle that is expected to last until December 2026.

Ursula von der Leyen’s new €2 trillion EU budget: Six key takeaways

From support to Ukraine to the merger of agriculture and cohesion funds, here are the six takeaways from von der Leyen’s €2 trillion EU budget.

Exactly two decades after becoming an EU candidate, North Macedonia is still waiting for its first negotiation chapter to open.  

Despite formally launching talks in July 2022, the process remains stuck amid political tensions and slow reforms.  

The country’s accession path has been fraught with obstacles. 

First came the name dispute with Greece, resolved through the Prespa Agreement of 2018, when "Macedonia" became “North Macedonia”: unlocking NATO membership and a green light for EU talks.  

But the issues are not fully resolved.  

Bulgaria insists that North Macedonia recognises the countries’ “shared history” and the Bulgarian roots of the Macedonian language - a claim many in Skopje see as an attack on their national identity.  

Sofia has also demanded that the North Macedonia constitution be amended to explicitly recognise the Bulgarian minority, a condition set in the so-called French proposal of 2022.  

North Macedonia’s parliament has yet to pass these changes, with nationalist parties calling them “humiliating”, contrary to the spirit of the Prespa Agreement. 

The standoff has had clear consequences for the region’s enlargement path. Bulgaria’s veto in 2020 blocked the opening of accession talks with North Macedonia and, since the two countries’ bids had been linked, also delayed Albania’s.

Brussels later hinted that it might “decouple” the two bids to avoid punishing Tirana for a bilateral dispute it was not involved in.  

Albania’s accession process has since advanced, while North Macedonia remains stuck: negotiations formally opened but no chapters are under discussion.  

Public enthusiasm has also faded. 

While surveys show that North Macedonians still support enlargement, fewer now see EU membership as a realistic goal.

EU High Representative Kaja Kallas, left, with North Macedonia's Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski, May 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski)

Croatia is the latest country to have joined the European Union in 2013. Its membership was granted 10 years after its initial request, and nine years from the concession of the candidate status.

Romania and Bulgaria jointly entered the EU in 2007, after a 12-year-long negotiation. Both filed their candidacy in 1995 and received the candidate status in 1999.

This waiting time has already been exceeded in the case of North Macedonia (which applied in 2004), Montenegro (2008), Serbia and Albania (2009). 

The accession of new countries to the European Union risks worsening the shortage of critical workers in newer member states, aggravating an ongoing brain drain.

While further integration of the EU can create business and investment opportunities, it may also drive a significant relocation of workers seeking higher salaries and better employment prospects in wealthier member states once freedom of movement is established.

“Although the exodus of skilled migrants from the Western Balkans has been ongoing for decades, EU accession could intensify this phenomenon, as we observed during previous enlargements,” Lien Jansen, a PhD researcher at KU Leuven University, told Euronews.

Experts suggest that potential solutions include improving the transition from education to employment, strengthening key sectors, and offering better working conditions. 

Is risk of ‘brain drain’ overlooked in the EU’s enlargement process?

The EU’s enlargement process risks deepening a “brain drain” in the Western Balkans as skilled workers from newer members may migrate looking for opportunities…

The European Commission is set to call on Serbia to align itself with the sanctions adopted by the EU against Russia, according to draft conclusions seen by Euronews.

Belgrade’s ambiguity in its foreign policy remains an obstacle on its path toward EU membership, the document states.

“Serbia should clearly manifest its geopolitical orientation towards the EU, including by starting to align with EU’s restrictive measures taken in the context of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine,” the Commission says.

The Commission also notes that the reforms undertaken by the country have “significantly slowed down" in the context of an increasingly polarised society, as a protest movement has been sweeping the country for more than a year following the collapse of a train station canopy.

It reflects the “disappointment of citizens over inter alia corruption and the perceived lack of accountability and transparency coupled with instances of excessive use of force against protestors and pressure on civil society.”

More specifically on the reform front, the Commission expects progress through the process of appointing the new Council of the Regulatory Body for Electronic Media (REM), and through the adoption of the law on the unified voter register, “to be completed and implemented in a credible and inclusive manner, involving civil society and all stakeholders, including the opposition.”

In the area of judiciary and fundamental rights, the Commission also expects the country to overcome the standstill and “urgently reverse the backsliding on freedom of expression”.

Finally, the Commission intends to pay particular attention to the normalization of relations with Kosovo — a tense relationship, as Belgrade does not recognize its independence.

According to the draft conclusions seen by Euronews, the European Commission estimates that Moldova can conclude the accession negotiations by early 2028, provided it can accelerate the current pace of reforms.

The Commission assesses that Moldova has now met the conditions required to open cluster one (dedicated to fundamentals), as well as clusters six (external relations) and two (internal market).

The Commission expects Moldova to meet the conditions to open the remaining three clusters by the end of this year, which would put the country on track with its roadmap.

The draft also notes with a positive assessment that the country adopted last spring roadmaps on the rule of law, public administration reform, and the functioning of democratic institutions. 

Moldova applied for EU membership in March 2022, just weeks after Russia invaded Ukraine.

In an interview with Euronews, Moldovan President Maia Sandu said that due to Moldova’s efforts to join the bloc, the country needs a “sustained engagement and clarity from the EU to keep enlargement as a strategic priority and to maintain the momentum for those who deliver.”

Progressive parties from across Europe and Ukraine will gather in Kyiv on Friday, 7, and Saturday, 8 November for the first 'EUkraine Progressive Summit'.

The summit is organised by the Party of European Socialists, the Socialists and Democrats Group in the European Parliament, and Ukraine's Social Democratic Platform, a non-governmental organisation that unites progressive people all over the country.

The summit will focus on Ukraine’s EU path, peace, and reconstruction.

"EU and Ukraine's progressives will reflect on how Ukraine’s reconstruction and path to the EU can drive social progress, transforming the country into a truly democratic, socially just, resilient European state," the announcement reads.

Enlargement has often been associated with economic prosperity, fair competition, the rule of law, democracy and human rights. But in the case of Ukraine, it has gained a new dimension: security guarantee.

"It is clear that Ukraine's full membership of the EU is not only the best security guarantee, it is also the most effective path for prosperity and for a better future for the Ukrainian people," António Costa, the president of the European Council, said in September.

But can EU membership actually be a security guarantee?

The bloc's treaties foresee that if a member state becomes the target of an "armed aggression", the other member states will be bound by "an obligation of aid and assistance by all the means in their power". The assistance can be military, diplomatic, technical, medical or any other relevant type. (Austria, Ireland and Malta are neutral.)

The clause, laid out in Article 47.2, has often been described as a collective defence akin to NATO's Article 5. However, the languages are markedly different. The NATO clause is more strongly worded as it compels all necessary action, "including the use of armed force, to restore and maintain the security of the North Atlantic area". Additionally, NATO benefits from the presence of the United States, a nuclear superpower with a high-tech, well-funded army.

In the draft conclusions seen by Euronews, the European Commission praised North Macedonia’s “full alignment” with EU foreign policy but warned that accession talks remain blocked until Skopje fulfils its 2022 pledge to include Bulgarians and other groups in its Constitution.

The report also stressed the need for further progress in the rule of law, judicial independence, and the fight against corruption.

Back in April, Foreign Minister Timčo Mucunski voiced frustration to Euronews that his country had “changed its flag, its currency and even its name” for EU promises that keep shifting with each new condition.

"Of course, there have been faults by governments in terms of lack of delivery on some issues without a doubt. But what is also a fact is that we have been a victim of far too much bilateralisation of the EU process," he told Euronews journalist Shona Murray.

The country has been an EU candidate since 2005, but no chapters in negotiations have been opened so far.

The European Commission believes that Montenegro is “on track” to meet its ambitious objective of closing the EU accession negotiations by the end of 2026, according to draft conclusions of the new enlargement report seen by Euronews. 

Montenegro’s goal is to become the 28th EU member state by 2028. 

However, to achieve this, the Commission said the country will need to focus on improvements in several areas: rule of law, freedom of expression and media freedom, the fight against corruption and organised crime, as well as accelerating reforms in the judiciary sector and alignment with the EU visa policy.

“The timely filling of high-level judicial and prosecutorial positions remains a challenge that needs to be addressed,” the Commission said.

“Continued broad political consensus on key reforms remains crucial,” the EU executive added.

If Montenegro keeps its pace of progress, the Commission will present a draft financial package and draft common positions for closing negotiations on the financial and budgetary provisions, the draft conclusions said. 

28 February 2022: Just a few days after the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, Ukraine submits a formal letter of membership to join the EU via "a new special procedure". The decision receives widespread media attention, but member states are mixed on fast-tracked accession.

1 March 2022: President Zelenskyy virtually addresses the European Parliament and makes an impassioned case for accession. "Do prove that you are with us. Do prove that you will not let us go. Do prove that you are indeed Europeans," Zelenskyy tells lawmakers, receiving a standing ovation. The speech brings the translator to tears.

8 April 2022: Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, travels to Kyiv and presents Zelenskyy with the questionnaire to kickstart the accession process.

17 June 2022: The European Commission recommends that Ukraine be granted candidate status and lays out seven conditions, such as steps to tackle corruption, to start formal talks.

23 June 2022: The 27 leaders of the EU endorse Ukraine's candidacy, a decision hailed as historic. Moldova, which applied shortly after Kyiv, is also granted candidate status. The two neighbours become informally coupled in the accession process.

22 June 2023: The European Commission tells member states that Ukraine has fully met two of the seven preconditions and made certain progress on the other five.

14 December 2023: The 27 leaders of the EU decide to open negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova.

18 June 2024: Ahead of taking over the rotating presidency of the EU Council, Hungary announces it will freeze Ukraine's accession process. It marks the start of the Hungarian veto.

28 March 2022: A proposed minerals deal between the United States and Ukraine raises serious fears over Kyiv's ability to meet EU rules and standards. The concerns are later mitigated.

1 July 2025: The European Commission rebukes Hungary, saying there are "no objective reasons" to block Ukraine's accession. Budapest justifies its position using the results of a national consultation.

23 July 2025: Von der Leyen expresses "strong concerns" and demands explanations over a new law in Ukraine that weakens the independence of two anti-corruption agencies. The backlash forces Kyiv to undo the legal changes.

2 September 2025: Amid persistent speculation, ministers pour cold water on the idea of decoupling Ukraine and Moldova to allow the latter to advance in the accession process.

2 October 2025: Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán derails a plan to tweak the voting rules of the accession process that would have allowed Ukraine to open the first cluster of negotiations.

Credit: European Union, 2025

Albania is on track to end accession negotiations in 2027, according to draft conclusions of the new enlargement report seen by Euronews to be unveiled today. 

The country expects to join the European Union in 2030. So far, it has opened five of the six negotiating clusters required for EU accession. Only the cluster covering agriculture and cohesion is left, which Albania aims to open before the end of the year. 

The conclusions state that the immediate priority is to meet the short-term goals related to the rule of law and to strengthen efforts to investigate drug trafficking and dismantle criminal groups. 

Antonio Costa, President of the European Council, told Euronews earlier this year that Albania, together with Montenegro, is “clearly more advanced than the other countries.” 

His remarks were echoed by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen during her visit to Tirana, Albania’s capital, this autumn. “I want to emphasise that there has been a stunning and outstanding acceleration in the last three to four years,” she said at a joint press conference with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama.  

Turkey holds the record for the longest wait to join the European Union: almost 40 years at the bloc's doorstep.

Today, the country's membership ambitions are de facto frozen. But this wasn't always the case. There was a time when Turkey was seriously considered a candidate to join and held the promise of becoming an influential member state

In this article from 2023, we trace back Turkey's tortuous road.

A brief history of Turkey’s long road to join the European Union

Turkey’s ambition to join the European Union has gone through multiple ups and downs since the application was first submitted in 1987.

The European Parliament believes that any new accession to the European Union should go hand-in-hand with key reforms, as the enlargement has “institutional consequences.”

In a recently approved resolution, the Parliament emphasizes the importance of reviewing the Council’s decision-making process and revising the qualified majority voting system to enhance the balance between larger and smaller countries.

Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos is expected to deliver the pre-enlargement reviews and reforms later this month to assess the impact enlargement could have on key policy areas.

For more than a year, Ukraine has been pleading with EU countries to break the deadlock caused by the Hungarian veto and open the first cluster of negotiations, known as "Fundamentals".

But there is one issue in Kyiv that has greater urgency. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who will take part in today's summit, has told EU leaders that his country would need a fresh injection of financial and military assistance next year, ideally at the "very beginning".

Member states agree with Zelenskyy's assessment but lack a concrete solution to plug the gap. The European Commission has proposed a bold plan to use the immobilised assets of the Russian Central Bank to issue a €140 billion loan to Ukraine, which could help cover the needs for 2026, 2027 and even beyond. The project, however, is being held up by Belgium, the prime keeper of the assets.

Here's everything you need to know about the so-called reparations loan.

What is the reparations loan for Ukraine and why is the EU stuck?

An audacious plan to use Russia’s immobilised assets to issue a €140-billion loan to Ukraine is held up by EU leaders. Here’s why.

As candidate countries have been waiting for several years to conclude the negotiations, one of the ways to break this deadlock has come in the form of granting newcomers EU membership without the veto right.

At the moment, there has been no such discussion at any level among EU countries on this proposal, three different EU sources told Euronews. But some experts think that this can change in the near future.

“It is undeniable that this would introduce, of course, a differentiation between new and existing member states. But it would be temporal in nature," Steven Blockmans, from the think tank Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS), told Euronews.

According to him, this option would facilitate decision-making among member states, it would be time-limited and acceptable from a legal standpoint.

“It would not create a breach (in the EU law) because it would be applied to all future candidates joining the EU, so there would be no discrimination among them.”

Read more in the story below:

EU enlargement: How to end the wait?

EU hopefuls from the Western Balkans have faced a years-long delay on their membership path. Ahead of its flagship enlargement summit on 4 November, Euronews e…

Euronews sat down with Marta Kos last week for a group interview in which the enlargement commissioner said that the EU has learnt from its mistakes with the UK and Georgia and is now prepared to be "more assertive" including by investing in candidate countries to counter fake narratives.

Kos, who took office in December last year, said 2025 marked a departure for the way the European Commission approached enlargement, notably because "it was the first time that we invested resources, we have invested men and women power to help fend off foreign malign interference".

"This included for the first time the deployment of the EU’s rapid hybrid response team," she added.

The beneficiary was Moldova, whose bid to become an EU member state was launched just weeks after Russia rolled its tanks into Ukraine in its full-scale invasion in early 2022.

Read more below:

EU now ‘more assertive’ to help candidate countries fight interference

The EU has a “responsibility” to help candidate countries stay on their European path, the bloc’s enlargement chief said this week ahead of the release of the…

Today is D-Day for enlargement as leaders from six of the candidate countries will join Euronews in Brussels for an exclusive summit to discuss their accession progress, just as the European Commission will unveil its annual report card.

Here's the schedule for the summit (all times CET):

• 14:10: Keynote by European Council President António Costa;
• 14:16: The Europe Conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy;
• 14:38: The European Conversation with Moldova's Maia Sandu;
• 14:59: EU Enlargement Talks with North Macedonia's Hristijan Mickoski;
• 15:13: EU Enlargement Talks with Montenegro's Filip Ivanović;
• 16:00: The Europe Conversation with Marta Kos;
• 16:20: The Ring with MEPs David McAllister and Marc Botenga;
• 16:53: EU Enlargement Talks with Albania's Edi Rama
• 17:05: The Europe Conversation with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić.

But before that, our team of crack reporters will also bring you coverage of Marta Kos appearing in front of the European Parliament's foreign affairs committee where she will preview the enlargement report.