The European Council President sends a clear signal to the Western Balkans, declaring that the EU’s commitment to enlargement is absolute and urging candidate states to unlock their paths through swift legislative action.
Reinforcing the wave of high-level European support sweeping through Montenegro, European Council President António Costa delivered a firm and unequivocal message to regional leaders gathered at the EU–Western Balkans Summit.
Speaking on Friday afternoon, June 5, 2026, Costa emphasized that the geopolitical stars have aligned for the region, creating a rare window of opportunity that candidate nations must immediately capitalize on through concrete domestic reforms.
Locking In the Geopolitical Momentum
Costa’s address directly complements the coordinated push by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Together, EU leadership is presenting a unified front, signalling that Brussels is ready to move past its long-standing enlargement fatigue.
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ The Dual Obligations of the Tivat Summit │
├───────────────────────────────────┬────────────────────────────────────┤
│ THE EUROPEAN UNION'S GUARANTEE │ THE WESTERN BALKANS' ASSIGNMENT │
├───────────────────────────────────┼────────────────────────────────────┤
│ • Political commitment to dynamic │ • Swift, uncompromising execution │
│ and credible expansion. │ of fundamental reforms. │
│ • Strategic willingness to alter │ • Aligning local judiciaries with │
│ rigid bureaucratic structures. │ European rule-of-law baselines. │
│ • Introduction of phased single- │ • Eradicating institutional gridlock│
│ market integration frameworks. │ and regional political spats. │
└───────────────────────────────────┴────────────────────────────────────┘
“My message to the Western Balkans is clear: the EU is deeply committed to enlargement,” European Council President António Costa declared. “Now is the time to seize the momentum and implement the necessary reforms.”
A Unified Push for Phased Integration
Costa’s emphasis on “seizing the moment” is structurally tied to the joint Franco-German non-paper currently being debated behind closed doors at the summit.
The European Council, which represents the heads of state of all 27 EU member nations, is vital in this process. Costa’s supportive stance indicates that the Council is increasingly receptive to “staged accession”—a model that rewards reform-minded countries with early integration benefits rather than keeping them waiting for decades.
┌────────────────────────┐
│ The Tivat Convergence │
└───────────┬────────────┘
│
┌──────────────────────────────┴──────────────────────────────┐
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[Von der Leyen & Merz] [António Costa]
Showcase Montenegro's rapid progress Signals that the Council is ready
as proof that individual merit unlocks to legally back new structural
immediate, full EU entry benefits. frameworks for active reformers.
The overarching message from the European leadership lineup in Tivat is clear: the European Union is open for business and ready to expand. However, the keys to unlocking this revamped, multi-tier system remain firmly in the hands of regional governments, who must choose between decisive democratic reform or self-inflicted geopolitical isolation.
