EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos said that the moment is approaching when preparations will begin. membership agreement and financial plans with Montenegro.
She pointed out that significant progress has been made by Montenegro, Albania, Moldova and Ukraine towards EU membership.
"The year 2025 was good for our work with candidate countries," Kos said during a presentation at the European Parliament.
She pointed out that significant progress has been made on the path to the EU, which has been achieved so far by Montenegro, Albania, Moldova and Ukraine:
"It shows that reforms are paying off."
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Kos stressed that enlargement remains a key geopolitical commitment of the EU, stressing that cooperation with candidate countries is essential for ensuring "a strong, stable, secure and united Europe based on common values and principles."
She recalled that candidate countries have ambitious goals, such as Montenegro, which wants to complete negotiations by the end of 2026, or Albania, which plans to do so by the end of 2027.
"Ambitions are more important than deadlines and the EC supports them," said Kas, adding that this year Montenegro, Albania, Moldova and Ukraine have aligned their ambitions with concrete actions.
"Montenegro is the most advanced in the EU accession process and has made significant progress towards accession, achieving tangible results regarding the necessary reforms over the past years, which means that it is generally the most prepared country for EU accession," said Kos.
She added that Albania has also made great progress.
"The coming year will be a moment of truth for all candidate countries, but especially for those that have presented ambitious plans," Kos said.
According to her, high ambitions come with high expectations regarding reforms.
"Candidates need to step up their efforts to implement reforms that will enable the lasting transformation of economies and societies, but also to fully adapt to democratic standards and values," Kos said.
This, she pointed out, must be based on respect for the rule of law and fundamental rights, but also with clear adherence to what constitutes the EU's geopolitical orientation.
"This requires leadership that builds trust, embraces change and fosters consensus in society and promotes EU values," Kos said.
According to Kos, the EU expects that as the enlargement of the Union approaches, there will be more external forces that would like the process to fail.
Kos also said that in order to ensure that the positive dynamics in the area of the rule of law, democracy and fundamental rights are preserved, the EC believes that future accession treaties should contain stronger protection mechanisms.
"Future enlargement can only be successful if we ensure the highest quality of reforms," Kos said, adding that enlargement must always make the Union stronger.
When asked by journalists how the EU will make rule of law reforms in candidate countries realistic, Kalas emphasized that the rule of law is a key EU requirement.
According to her, the situation is not always perfect, but obvious progress has been made.
Kalas emphasized that the rule of law refers to the fundamental principles with which, according to the new methodology, accession negotiations both begin and end.
This means, as she explained, that they are monitoring the situation in that area throughout the entire process, so any unnoticed setback is impossible.
Asked whether the EU is considering Albania's membership in the Union without voting rights, Kos said that there is no debate about revoking the voting rights of Union members.
When asked whether she would propose preparing a membership agreement with Montenegro given the progress, Kos said that the moment when the preparations for the agreement and financial plans would begin is certainly approaching.
Kos, answering the question of whether it is necessary to reform the Union before enlargement, even if it would slow down the process, pointed out that the membership of Montenegro and Albania, which together have up to three million inhabitants, cannot significantly affect financial policies or the decision-making process in the Union.
"I am sure that the EU is capable of integrating them without major changes and that they will not affect financial policies or decision-making process issues," Kos said.
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