The ‘unprecedented challenges” of the last five years, said the EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, demonstrate the importance of a new momentum for EU enlargement’. “Now more than ever, EU membership is a strategic choice. Alignment with EU values, starting with the rule of law, and the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy is the most significant indication of strategic orientation in the new geopolitical context,” he said.
The fundamentals cluster was opened with Albania on 15 October 2024, says the report. Accession negotiations were opened with Ukraine and Moldova at the first intergovernmental conferences in June 2024. Having met the interim benchmarks for the rule of law chapters, Montenegro is on the way to provisionally closing further negotiating chapters. In March 2024, the European Council decided to open accession negotiations with Bosnia and Herzegovina. The screening process was completed with both Albania and North Macedonia at the end of 2023.
In June 2024 the intergovernmental conference confirmed that Montenegro overall met the interim benchmarks for the rule of law chapters 23 and 24, providing the opportunity to proceed with provisionally closing further chapters if conditions are met. In the rule of law area and judiciary further progress is needed. With Serbia having fulfilled the benchmarks to open the Competitiveness and inclusive growth cluster, the country is expected to speed up work on implementing EU-accession related reforms, with a particular focus on rule of law benchmarks as well as making credible efforts to shut down disinformation and foreign information manipulation.
On Albania, the Commission says authorities must intensify the pace of EU oriented reforms, notably on the rule of law, fighting corruption and organised crime, and promoting media freedom, property rights, and minorities. North Macedonia needs to continue to deliver on the fight against corruption and organised crime, and strengthen trust in the justice system.
Bosnia and Herzegovina has prtogressed well on migration management, full alignment with the EU’s common and foreign security policy, and passing legislation on integrity of the judiciary, anti-money laundering and conflict of interest. With the EU having decided to open accession negotiations, the Commission is preparing the negotiating framework.
Source: EUbusiness
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