European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (C) and Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda (L) open the EU-Western Balkans summit on Friday in Tivat, Montenegro. Photo by Boris Pejovic
June 5 (UPI) -- French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen were among more than 30 European leaders gathering in Montenegro on Friday for a summit on EU-enlargement.
Talks at the annual EU-Western Balkans summit in the coastal resort of Tivat will try to reach agreement on the timetable and practicalities of integrating six candidate nations, five in the Balkans plus Ukraine, into the 27-member-country economic and political union.
Speaking after spending the past week in the capitals of the candidates, European Council President Antonio Costa said there was "clear momentum on enlargement" with the formal drafting of Montenegro's accession treaty underway, Albania on track to complete the 35 "chapters" that form the basis of accession negotiations by the end of 2027, and Moldova and Ukraine cleared to begin formal negotiations to join.
Front-runner Montenegro is optimistic its 18-year wait to join could be realized by 2028 after adopting the euro just three years after its inception -- although not the "eurozone" Economic and Monetary Union -- and joining NATO in 2017.
