The European Union’s Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos, has spoken about the accession of Western Balkan countries to the European Union.
In an interview with the German media outlet WELT, Kos praised Albania’s integration reforms, stating that the country has a strong chance of joining the EU by 2030.
“I fully understand the disappointment in the Western Balkans. I come from that region. Let me offer a comparison: if Ukraine had to wait as long as North Macedonia, we would begin negotiations with Ukraine in 2045 and that cannot happen. The same applies to the Western Balkans.
We have Montenegro and Albania, which are doing very well with integration reforms. They see the enlargement process as a transformation of their economy, as well as other areas of life.
If things continue to progress well, we could conclude all negotiation chapters with Montenegro by the end of 2026 and with Albania by the end of 2027. This means there is a real possibility that both countries could become new EU members by 2030,” Kos stated.
