Merz Urges EU to Prepare for New Members at Montenegro Summit
Merz said the bloc must be ready to admit new members as Germany and France proposed broader access for candidates before full accession.
- On Friday, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz told reporters in Tivat, Montenegro, that the European Union must demonstrate it is "capable of enlarging and willing to enlarge" to integrate the Western Balkan region into the bloc's future.
- Merz admitted the European Union's failure to admit new members for 13 years reveals shortcomings within the bloc, with enlargement becoming urgent due to Russia's war against Ukraine.
- Six Western Balkan countries—Albania, Bosnia, Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Kosovo—seek membership, though the complex process requires approval from all 27 current European Union members to complete each step.
- Germany and France proposed giving aspiring members access to European Union programs before full accession, while Montenegro, with a population of 630,000, is considered the frontrunner despite its ambitious 2028 goal.
- Merz previously suggested granting Ukraine "associate member" status, which would allow officials to participate in European Union summits and ministerial meetings without voting rights as an interim step toward full membership.
13 Articles
13 Articles
European leaders stressed on Friday, in Montenegro, "the geostrategic imperative of EU enlargement to the Western Balkans, but stressed the idea of gradual integration into the Community bloc to boost the process in which some candidates have been waiting for more than 15 years. The EU must prove its willingness and ability to accept new members and accelerate the enlargement process, the bloc leaders said, at a meeting with their counterparts i…
Serbia "must decide where it sees its future," German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Friday, asking Belgrade to stop swinging between Russia, China and Europe, reports AFP, according to Agerpres.
Will the EU soon be significantly larger? According to the will of Chancellor Friedrich Merz, the six Western Balkan states should soon join – including Russia-friendly Serbia. Merz also comments on Selenskyj's recent advance in the Ukraine war.
Merz Calls for Faster EU Expansion as Western Balkan Leaders Meet
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has urged the European Union to show that it is both willing and able to admit new members, as EU leaders met with Western Balkan counterparts seeking to join the bloc. Merz made the comments at a summit in the Montenegrin coastal town of Tivat on June 5, where leaders discussed the future of EU enlargement amid renewed geopolitical pressure from Russia’s war in Ukraine and growing competition for influence in so…
The Straits Times
Blue Water Healthy LivingEU must be ready and able to expand, Merz says at summit with Balkan leaders
TIVAT, Montenegro, June 5 - The European Union must show it is willing and able to take in new members, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Friday as the bloc’s leaders gathered with Western Balkan counterparts hoping to join in the coming years. Read more at straitstimes.com.
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