Taking the pulse of EU enlargement at the Euronews summit, Newsletter

Key diary dates

Tuesday 4 November:

• Euronews’ Enlargement Summit
• European Commission presents 2025 Enlargement package
• Meeting of Environment ministers Wednesday 5 November: The Budget Committee will exchange views with Commissioner Piotr Serafin on the EU’s next long-term budget, the Interinstitutional Agreement, and the Own Resources Decision.

In spotlight

On Tuesday, the European Commission will present the 2025 enlargement package, an annual report assessing the progress made by candidate countries to join the EU candidates to the European Union.

This year, the package will include the “pre-enlargement policy review” on the reforms that established member states should adopt to accommodate the newcomers, sources briefed on the matter told Euronews.

The enlargement to the Western Balkans is widely considered a key foreign policy tool and strategic priority in the EU as a whole, to the point that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen referred it as “reunification of Europe” in her last State of the Union speech.

Currently, there are nine countries aspiring to join the EU and hold candidate status are at various stages of the accession process. Seven of them have already opened the accession negotiations, the final stage in the path to membership: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Türkiye, and Ukraine. Georgia's bid has been on hold following a disputed election and civil protests for a year.

The question is now whether the process can be revided altogether after stalling under former European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker.

Albania and Serbia applied to join the EU in 2009, Montenegro in 2008, and for North Macedonia in 2004. Since, very little progress has been made, exarcebating frustration for the Western Balkans candidates.

Yet, Russia's war against Ukraine and tumultous geopolitical shifts have reinvigorated the push to complete the enlargement process.

Policy newsmakers

Georgia’s stalled talks

Tuesday won't be a pretty day for Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze.

Euronews understands that the report card EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos will deliver about the country’s progress towards accession will be not just - but a disaster. Brussels will reprimend the Georgian authorities and caution that the country has no viable path to the EU at this stage unless conditions change dramatically.

Last year, Georgia held parliament elections - disputed by the opposition - has been accused on introducing Russia-like laws to silence critics and has seen massive protests for over a year.

Policy Poll

Data brief