The now 27-member European Union has been repeating the mantra since the 2003 EU summit in Thessaloniki, Greece: The countries of the Western Balkans that emerged from the disintegration of Yugoslavia, as well as Albania, belong to Europe, and should be welcomed into the European Union. 

So far, the only one that has made the leap into the EU is Croatia in 2013. The other six — Serbia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Albania — have been working for years towards a concrete date for their inclusion. They are all at different stages in the lengthy accession process. 

"We must accelerate this process, at a completely new pace, so that the prospect of accession is transformed into accession itself," German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in Brussels, where the EU's annual Western Balkans summit was being held this week.

Growing impatience

As far as many Western Balkan politicians are concerned, little has been achieved. Edi Rama, the prime minister of Albania, described the accession process as unfair and neurotic. He said he also finds it hypocritical that Ukraine, with Moldova in its wake, is being rushed through the process to make a geopolitical point that it is part of Europe's defense against Russian aggression.

Rama has high hopes for the EU's new high representative for foreign affairs, Kaja Kallas. He's convinced that she will advocate on behalf of the Western Balkans. As an Estonian, Rama added, Kallas grew up under a communist dictatorship in a country that fought for freedom and entry into the EU.

The Albanian leader comments that the Western Balkans have been through something similar. He had flattering words for Kallas, the former Estonian prime minister, after meeting her for the first time in her new role: "Thank you for the kind smile in the gloomy gray weather in Brussels this morning."

The EU is not united

Opinions differ among EU members as to how quickly each Western Balkan country should be admitted to the club. Austria, which has historically close ties to the Balkans, has formed a "group of friends" for the six candidate countries. Other EU members that lie further away, such as Ireland or Spain, are less enthusiastic. Spain is one of several EU countries that have not recognized Kosovo as a state.

Serbia still considers Kosovo a breakaway province, and despite the EU's efforts at mediation, the dispute between the two countries is no closer to resolution. Quite the opposite, in fact: Violent clashes and terrorist attacks continue to strain relations between Kosovo and Serbia. They also prevent any progress towards EU accession.

At the summit in Brussels, the Kosovar president, Vjosa Osmani, complained that Serbia was credited with having made progress despite having close foreign policy ties with Russia. Meanwhile, she said Kosovo met all the EU's requirements and supported the bloc's stance on Ukraine.

"We are the most pro-European country in the world but our membership application has somehow disappeared into a drawer somewhere in Brussels," Osmani said.

Internal problems

Germany's Scholz reiterated that the disputes between Western Balkan neighbors must not be allowed to overshadow the accession process. This, he said, also applied to EU members whose bilateral issues with specific candidate countries were hindering the process as a whole.

The comment was presumably a reference to Bulgaria, which, for cultural and historical reasons, has a longstanding spat with candidate country North Macedonia.

However, such disagreements were not mentioned at the summit and were papered over with a general commitment that the Western Balkans would join the EU, well, someday.

The accession process also depends on the candidate countries' performances. Each state is judged individually, independent of its neighbors. The European Commission, the bloc's executive branch, stressed that their respective accessions are not linked.

Montenegro in the lead?

The smallest candidate country, Montenegro, with its population of just 670,000, hopes that this is the case. At the summit, Montenegrin president, Jakov Milatovic, said his country completed the legal process of applying for EU membership and had been ready to join for years.

"We are in first place, and we want to become the 28th member of the EU," Milatovic said. "That would also send a clear signal to the other candidates that the accession process is still alive."

However, Milatovic did not receive any concrete promises either. Kallas said she hoped to make real progress during her mandate over the next five years.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine almost three years ago jolted the EU into changing its priorities. The Western Balkans suddenly became more important as a bulwark against Russian influence.

"EU enlargement is also crucial for security for the whole of Europe," Milatovic said.

The partners are now set to agree on a "growth plan for the Western Balkans" to strengthen ties between them and the EU. The plan would aim to secure investments in infrastructure and jobs in the Western Balkans.

No specific accession date

At his last Balkan summit, former European Council President Charles Michel spoke of 2030 as the year the EU could next expand. However his successor, Antonio Costa, has not mentioned any dates.

"The summit wasn't about the specifics of enlargement as such," Costa said after the discussions. "It was more about the broader strategic picture. We appreciate that there is frustration in the region but there's fresh momentum now," he added.

Meanwhile, EU diplomats warned that before any concrete steps can be taken, the European Union itself must prepare for the admission of new members. They say its current voting procedures and institutions are too slow and cumbersome for a community with 33 member states — or even to cope with the addition of a country as big as Ukraine.

French president Emmanuel Macron has been calling for reforms for years with little result. Now, the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, has announced that she will put forward a proposal on the matter.

Perhaps the topic will be revisited at the next EU–Western Balkan summit. That takes place in December 2025.

This article has been translated from German.