The EU will look for ways to make it quicker for the Western Balkan countries to join the bloc

BELGRADE, Serbia — The European Union will look for new ways to speed up the membership process for six candidate countries from the Western Balkans at an upcoming summit, European Council President Antonio Costa said on Thursday.

Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro have been seeking to join the bloc for years but are yet to complete the merit-based process. The EU has recently sought to encourage reform in the candidate nations, fearing the growing influence of Russia and China.

Costa said at a news conference in Serbia’s capital Belgrade that “if you want to boost the trust between each other, we cannot create this feel of frustration" over apparent slow progress toward membership. It doesn't mean it will be easier, Costa added, “but it means how we can deliver together more rapidly.”

The summit on Friday in the Montenegrin coastal town of Tivat will gather top European leaders and officials from the candidate countries. They are all at different stages, with Montenegro and Albania leading the way.

Candidate countries must bring their laws into line in 35 policy areas or “chapters,” ranging from justice standards to farm and fishing rules. All 27 EU members must agree before each chapter can be opened, and then again for it to be closed.

The EU has also said Serbia and Kosovo must normalize relations in order for their membership applications to progress.

Kosovo was a Serbian province until NATO’s 78-day bombing campaign in 1999 ended a war between Serbian government forces and ethnic Albanian separatists. Serbia does not recognize Kosovo’s independence, proclaimed in 2008.

Costa said that “tomorrow the European leaders will discuss with the leaders of the Western Balkans how we can improve our methodology to move forward faster and better.”

“The enlargement is not a utopia but it is something that could be real in the coming years,” Costa insisted. “For this we need to work harder and faster.”

Costa on Thursday wrapped his pre-summit tour of the Western Balkan candidate nations before traveling to Montenegro. He told Serbian populist President Aleksandar Vucic that his government must boost democratic reform and align its foreign policies with those of the EU in order to move forward.

Serbia has been warned it could lose access to around 1.5 billion euros ($1.8 billion) in EU funds if it fails to halt democratic backsliding, including in the judiciary. It has also been told to improve media freedom and the conditions for free and fair elections.

Ukraine and Moldova also are seeking to join the EU, along with the Western Balkan countries.

Serbia remains the only European nation that has not imposed sanctions on Russia because of the war in Ukraine and maintains friendly ties with Moscow, as well as China where Vucic recently traveled.

“We want and we are ready to do more,” Costa said. “But let me be clear, the pace of progress depends on Serbia’s own resolve.”

Increasingly authoritarian Vucic has faced continued youth-led street protests that first started in November 2024 after a train station accident in the country's north killed 16 people. He pledged on Thursday to push the reform with “new enthusiasm” and keep Serbia on the EU path.

Vucic travels to Tivat a day after Montenegro banned 87 Serbs from entering the country, citing security concerns. The men had communication equipment and banners reading “Serbia wins,” police said. Vucic uses the slogan in his public appearances.

It was not immediately clear why the men had traveled to Montenegro.