College readout on the 2025 enlargement package by High Representative/Vice-President Kaja Kallas and Commissioner Marta Kos

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Opening remarks

Good afternoon,

Today the European Commission adopted its annual report on enlargement - a state of play for each accession country. Commissioner Kos and I will present this now.

The College also discussed a new high-speed rail network plan and transport investment plan. Executive Vice-President Fitto and Commissioner Tzitzikostas will present these here tomorrow at 10:00.

Finally, we approved two appointments today first, Petr Klement as Director-General of the European Anti-Fraud Office - OLAF. And second, Alberto De Gregorio Merino as Director-General of the Commission's Legal Service. The date of effect of both appointments will be determined at a later stage.

Now on the main topic of today.

Enlargement is a political priority and a geopolitical investment. Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and geopolitical shifts make the case for enlargement clear-cut. Enlargement is not a 'nice to have', it is necessity if we want to be a stronger player on the world stage. Chances to enlarge the Union do not come often, but the window is now wide open.

At the same time, we will not cut corners, and we do not offer shortcuts. Joining the EU remains a fair, tough and merit-based process. But new countries joining the EU by 2030 is a realistic goal.

Commissioner Kos will go into more details and specifics of each country but in a nutshell: the scorecards are largely positive for Albania, Moldova, Montenegro and Ukraine. The outlook is mixed for Serbia, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Türkiye, and negative for Georgia.

Montenegro is the most advanced in the EU accession process. Albania has unprecedented momentum. Both are frontrunners for membership.

For Ukraine, membership in the EU can be a major security guarantee. No candidate country has ever implemented such sweeping reforms while at war. This shows Ukraine's remarkable commitment to membership.

Moldova's elections in October showed a clear 'yes' to a European future and the country has continued to implement key reforms.

Serbia and Kosovo each saw political crises that stalled progress. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, events in the Republika Srpska undermined progress towards EU accession. As I said in Sarajevo yesterday, the EU remains committed to the country's security. Judicial reform laws and appointing a Chief Negotiator are key to move forward on accession. North Macedonia has not yet made the required constitutional changes.

Georgia has no viable path to the EU at this stage unless conditions change dramatically. It is now a candidate country in name only. Türkiye remains a key partner with whom we have engaged in several areas. But the deterioration of democratic standards, judicial independence, and fundamental rights have de facto frozen the enlargement process since 2018.

Enlargement is an immensely technical process. But it is far more than screening, negotiation chapters and implementing reforms. It is a choice. For example, alignment with the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy is a fundamental part of the process. Because this demonstrates a candidate country's choice to see the world as we do and shape it with us.

Cleaning up corruption, cementing the rule of law and supporting free media are also as much about national and European security as they are about meeting fundamental accession criteria.

Security is at the top of everybody's agenda right now. That is why we have already deepened security and defence cooperation with accession countries. We have signed joint security commitments with Ukraine, established Security and Defence Partnerships with Moldova, North Macedonia, and Albania, and are about to launch a new Security and Defence Dialogue with Montenegro.

Closer security cooperation is just one aspect of the support we offer candidate countries. This includes also financial assistance and gradual integration in the single market. I will leave Commissioner Kos to dive deeper into this.

Enlargement is also not just about the candidates, the European Union needs to be ready as well. To ensure this, the Commission is working on policy reviews and reforms to be able to grow.

Expanding the EU is in our best interest. It's a long-term investment in our security, economy, and global edge. Through enlargement Europe can grow its geopolitical power.

Link to the video: https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/media/video/I-279730

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