The Franco-German discussion paper coincides with growing frustration with the pace of EU membership talks, especially in the Western Balkans, where countries like North Macedonia have been waiting for more than 20 years to join the bloc.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has laid out an ambitious vision for EU enlargement, saying that Ukraine belongs inside the 27-member union and that Europe could count as many as 30 members by the end of this decade.
Ukraine and Moldova received upbeat news on their membership bids this week when Hungary’s new prime minister, Peter Magyar, said that Budapest would not oppose opening the first negotiating chapter for Kyiv, allowing both applications — which are politically linked — to advance together on June 15.
But the focus on Ukraine has led to growing frustration in the Western Balkans, where officials argue that exceptions are being made for Kyiv while their capitals are being kept waiting without a real perspective on when they will advance.
Montenegro is currently the frontrunner with negotiations in the final stage, while Albania has opened all chapters and hopes to join by 2030. Serbia has opened 22 of the 35 chapters but has only closed two, and North Macedonia is still awaiting the formal start of negotiations due to an ongoing dispute with Bulgaria. Kosovo applied for membership in 2022 but has yet to be granted membership status because it is not recognized by all member countries, and due to ongoing tensions with Serbia.
Indeed, a German discussion paper floated last month proposed an “associate member” status for Ukraine, including bigger interim privileges, with officials arguing that the ongoing war with Russia makes Kyiv a special enlargement case.