EU seeking ways to speed up Western Balkans membership

Article excerpt

European Council President Antonio Costa is pushing to accelerate the European Union's integration of Western Balkans countries, signaling that the bloc's existing membership process is too slow. His push comes as EU leaders prepare for a summit in Montenegro, where the membership timeline will likely dominate discussions. The Western Balkans, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia, have been candidates for EU membership for years, with some reforms stalling and geopolitical tensions complicating their paths. Costa's call for "new ways" suggests the EU may be considering streamlined procedures or different membership conditions to bring these neighboring nations into the fold faster, possibly in response to concerns about China and Russia gaining influence in the region.