During a conference on EU candidate countries, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic expressed doubts regarding the rapid expansion of the European Union. He emphasized that, while joining the EU remains the best option for these nations, significant enlargement is not anticipated in the near future.
Currently, nine nations hold candidate status for EU membership: Moldova, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Turkey, and Ukraine. Kosovo has also applied for membership, though it has not yet been officially recognized as a candidate.
Vucic stated, “We should not expect miracles or major EU expansions in the coming years.”
According to Reuters, among the Western Balkan nations, only Montenegro hopes to join the EU by 2028, while Albania is hastening its accession process. Serbia, North Macedonia, Bosnia, and Kosovo have lagged behind.
Ukraine Advocates for Broad EU Expansion
Ukrainian parliamentary speaker Ruslan Stefanciuk, co-hosting the event with Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic, argued that the EU should accelerate the accession process to counter aggressive Russian policies. He stated, “The new wave of expansion must be as broad and strong as possible, so that the process of creating Europe can finally be completed—one that is united and indivisible, strong and invulnerable.”
For Moldova and Ukraine, the EU officially opened the first chapter of negotiations in June 2022. Moldova submitted its application for EU membership in March 2022 and was granted candidate status in June of the same year, as noted by Romanian Foreign Minister Oana Țoiu at the opening of the negotiation cluster.
Last month, Politico reported that the European Commission is developing plans to provide economic benefits to candidate countries prior to their joining the bloc.
