EU enlargement – European Council President António Costa says this week’s EU summit in Montenegro will prove that enlargement to Western Balkan candidate countries is a real, geostrategic commitment, even as Bosnia grapples with deep ethnic divisions and leadership changes li
When António Costa stepped into Bosnia at the start of his pre-summit tour, he delivered a message meant to land beyond diplomacy: the European Union’s enlargement effort is not an abstract promise, and this week’s EU summit is meant to show it.
Speaking in Sarajevo on Monday. the European Council President told Western Balkan candidate nations that the summit this week aims to demonstrate that “the opportunity for enlargement is real.” He framed it as more than benevolence. saying that amid global geopolitical uncertainty and economic instability. “enlargement is a geostrategic interest for Europe.”.
“It (enlargement) is an investment in the peace, stability and security of our continent,” Costa added, calling his tour “a clear sign that the commitment of the European Union to the Western Balkans is real. As real as the opportunity for enlargement.”
Costa is scheduled to co-chair Friday’s summit in Montenegro. The gathering will bring together EU leaders and top officials from Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Serbia and Montenegro.
The six countries are each at different stages of the accession process. Montenegro and Albania are leading the way, while the EU has recently pushed to encourage reform in the candidate nations amid concerns about growing influence from Russia and China.
Enlargement, Costa said, is also tied to momentum the EU wants to keep moving.
Friday’s meeting in the Adriatic Sea resort of Tivat will be “a clear demonstration of our determination to bring forward our cooperation and build on the momentum of the European Union’s enlargement,” he said.
For the candidate countries, the pathway is detailed and slow. They must align their laws with the EU across 35 policy areas. known as “chapters. ” ranging from justice standards to farm and fishing rules. Opening each chapter requires the agreement of all 27 EU member states, and closing a chapter requires approval again.
The pressure is not limited to legal paperwork. Bosnia, in particular, remains a country where the past still shapes every political motion.
Bosnia has lagged behind. still deeply divided along ethnic lines long after the 1992-95 war that killed more than 100. 000 people and displaced millions. The current political fault line includes a Bosnian Serb separatist. pro-Russia leadership that has been pushing for as much independence as possible—an approach that initially sparked the ethnic conflict after the breakup of the former Yugoslav federation.
Costa’s visit arrives as another turning point looms inside that postwar system.
An international body tasked with overseeing peace in Bosnia—created under a U.S.-brokered peace agreement—is set to choose a new High Representative later this week following the resignation of German diplomat Christian Schmidt. The High Representative holds sweeping authority, including the power to change laws and fire officials who jeopardize post-war reconciliation.
Local media in Bosnia have reported that the Peace Implementation Council member states have been divided over who should take over.
In his remarks to Bosnian officials, Costa linked the leadership question directly to the country’s European future.
“If the future of the country is in the European Union it’s important that the new high representative … embodies Bosnia and Herzegovina choice to pursue European Union accession,” he said.
He also urged officials to narrow their focus at a moment when politics and institution-building are both under strain, telling them that “now is the time to focus on your goal and accelerate the pace of reforms.”
The EU’s enlargement push is unfolding alongside a larger set of aspirations across Europe. Ukraine and Moldova are also among about ten countries seeking to join the bloc.
Taken together. Costa’s message and the summit timetable put Bosnia’s immediate political crossroads in sharp relief: the EU is positioning enlargement as a concrete project. while Bosnia moves toward a new High Representative choice that could affect the legal and political landscape for years to come.
António Costa European Council EU enlargement Western Balkans Bosnia-Herzegovina Montenegro summit Tivat accession chapters Christian Schmidt High Representative Peace Implementation Council Albania North Macedonia Kosovo Serbia