EU drafts action plan for frontrunner candidates, Albania among them

The EU is drafting proposals that would give the four countries closest to joining the bloc a clear, step-by-step path to membership while others fall behind.

Targeted “roadmaps” are being considered for Montenegro, Ukraine, Moldova and Albania, two senior European Commission officials working on the draft proposals told POLITICO, as part of efforts to speed up the decades-long process. They were granted anonymity to speak about sensitive plans.

All four countries are seen as favorites to join the EU, but still face slow progress and unclear timelines for when they might be formally admitted. While Brussels has long backed their membership bids, the roadmaps would mark the first time they are given assurances that if they continue with essential reforms, they will be admitted — with indicative timelines offered for completing negotiations.

The plans would make clearer what is expected of each candidate country, one of the officials said, and would also create obligations for current members, who must give their approval for the process to move forward. The plans also set approximate dates for when the reform groups, known as negotiating “clusters,” would be formally closed — significant milestones on the road to membership.

Commission President Ursula von der Leyen promised targeted support for candidate countries “that have made the most progress” during her State of the Union address in early September.

However, officials confirmed that other candidate countries at an earlier stage of the process, such as Kosovo, North Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, would not be offered roadmaps at this stage. Neither would Georgia, Turkey or Serbia, whose applications have stalled over concerns about democratic and judicial backsliding.

A Commission spokesperson confirmed the new roadmaps “will provide a path to completing accession negotiations. They will set out a clear list of priorities: timelines and deliverables to help the most advanced candidates complete the necessary reforms.”

‘Geopolitical imperative’

EU leaders are increasingly turning to other pro-trade democracies, particularly in their neighborhood, amid tensions with partners like the United States, hostile practices by China and threats from Russia. Officials are concerned that EU membership takes too long, exposing potential new members to disappointment or pressure from rivals not to pursue membership.

The move comes as the EU’s “pre-enlargement” policies undergo a separate review. Candidate countries should be offered a better path toward “gradual integration” into the bloc, officials believe, a path that would use economic benefits and access to joint projects to reward them for progress. This policy review, led by von der Leyen’s close adviser Alexandre Adam, will be presented to senior officials on October 6; it is designed to keep them on the EU path as their applications develop.

“Enlargement… remains a geopolitical imperative. However, accession takes time,” reads a draft version of the pre-enlargement review text, seen by POLITICO. “Candidate countries must complete a rigorous, merit-based process and implement broad and sustainable reforms. This time must be used fully strategically both to prepare the Union for wider membership and to deepen gradual integration in areas of mutual interest.”

As part of this review, von der Leyen and Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos will propose changes to the bloc’s internal functioning to ensure safeguards are in place to prevent new members from disrupting key policies or failing to meet their commitments. The reviews could include emergency clauses and transition periods before certain membership rights are fully granted.

“The policy reviews show that the Union can accommodate a larger membership through targeted adjustments, mainly within the existing Treaty framework,” the draft says, arguing that the EU’s fundamental laws do not need to change to calm concerns about enlargement.

National capitals are cautious about admitting new members, some of which have had only a few decades of democratic governance, after Hungary’s regression on rule-of-law principles under former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and the use of veto power to block key policies such as sanctions on Russia and support for Ukraine. The backing of current members must be unanimous for candidate countries to move through the EU accession process.

National leaders will give their views on how and how quickly new members can be admitted during a two-day summit in Brussels starting October 15; for its part, the Commission will ask them for political support to speed up the pace. A draft agenda shows the European Council will hold “a strategic discussion on enlargement and internal reforms.”

Kos told POLITICO earlier this month she hopes the proposed changes and talks with leaders will bring an “enlargement autumn” after years of slower progress.

Von der Leyen is traveling to the Western Balkans this week for talks with leaders in Montenegro, Albania, North Macedonia and Kosovo. However, she will not visit Bosnia and Herzegovina or Serbia, which are in the midst of national elections.