BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — 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.
