The European Commission considers Montenegro, Albania, Moldova and Ukraine to be the four most advanced candidate countries currently on the path toward European Union membership, European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos said on Tuesday.
Kos made the remarks while presenting the European Commission’s plans to prepare the EU for future enlargement.
The Commission is expected to present individual roadmaps for the four countries by the end of October, outlining the next steps, indicative timelines and specific objectives in their accession processes.
“These countries have demonstrated significant progress in terms of preparedness over the past years,” Kos said.
According to the European commissioner, the purpose of the roadmaps is to help candidate countries maintain the pace of reforms while providing greater predictability on their path toward EU membership.
Kos stressed, however, that enlargement will continue to be based on the individual merits and achievements of each candidate country.
“There will be no shortcuts,” she said.
Kos also noted that Montenegro could complete the technical part of its accession negotiations by the end of this year or early next year if it maintains its current pace of progress.
For Ukraine, the roadmap will be tailored to the circumstances created by the ongoing war, while its continued progress will also depend on the implementation of reforms.
At the same time, the European Commission is seeking to introduce a more ambitious model of gradual integration, allowing candidate countries that meet certain standards to participate in selected EU policies and strategic sectors before becoming full members.
The areas under consideration include energy, transport, artificial intelligence, security and defence.
Kos emphasized that gradual integration would not replace full EU membership, but rather serve as a way to accelerate the enlargement process.
The Commission is also proposing stronger mechanisms to respond to serious backsliding by future member states in areas including the rule of law, democracy and fundamental rights.
