Following the fifth enlargement wave, at the summit meeting between EU heads of state and government which was held on 16-17 December 2004, it was stated that Turkey has met the political criteria sufficiently and afterwards, accession negotiations were decided to start on 3 October 2005. It was the conclusion of long process that had started in 1987 with Turkey’s application for full membership of the Community and whereas it had been granted the status of candidate at the Helsinki Summit of 1999.

So far, Turkey has opened 16 out of 35 chapters and one chapter (Chapter 25- Science and Research) was provisionally closed. Furthermore, the European Council decided not to open eight chapters and not to temporarily close any other chapters until Turkey fully and indiscriminately implements the Additional Protocol that expands the Ankara Agreement to all EU Member States. Along with that, the fact that France and the Greek Cypriot Administration of Southern Cyprus prevented some chapters from being opened on political grounds constitutes a major obstacle preventing the negotiations to progress. On 17 May 2012, a "Positive Agenda" was launched with the aim to give an impetus to Turkeys accession talks and put the accession process back on track after a period of stagnation.Turkey and the EU have signed a Readmission Agreement and initiated a visa liberalisation process on 16 December 2013. 

In addition to Turkey, Montenegro, Serbia, North Macedonia ,and Albania are candidate countries. In March 2015, Iceland, which was among the candidate countries, announced its decision to withdraw its application for membership. Therefore, Iceland is no longer considered within the scope of EUs enlargement process. Alongside these candidate countries, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo are potential candidate countries. These two countries, have signed Stabilisation and Association Agreements with the EU. 

Montenegro 

 

 

Montenegro declared its independence in 2006 (from Serbia and Montenegro) and had been officially recognized by the EU. By signing the Stabilisation and Association Agreement in October 2007 and the Interim Agreement on trade and trade-related issues and the agreements on Visa Facilitation and Readmission on 1 January 2008, Montenegro took a step towards EU membership. Montenegro applied for EU membership on 15 December 2008 and was granted candidate status at the European Council Summit which was held in December 2010. Accession negotiations with Montenegro were launched on the 29 June 2012. Montenegro’s accession negotiations are conducted in accordance with the Commissions "new approach" prioritizing the rule of law chapters namely; judiciary and fundamental rights (Chapter 23) and justice, freedom and security (Chapter 24). Under the new approach, the two rule of law chapters are the first ones to be opened and the last ones to be closed in the accession negotiations. In the eighth year of the accession negotiations, Montenegro has opened all of the 33 technical chapters and has closed three chapters. Negotiations on the two rule of law chapters are still ongoing. Montenegros progress in the rule of law chapters is considered as the key parameter in determining the overall pace of the accession talks. On 19 December 2009, citizens of Montenegro have been granted visa-free travel to the Schengen area. 

The last accession conference meeting with Montenegro on 13 December 2021 was the second intergovernmental conference since the Council approved the revised enlargement methodology. EU and Montenegro representatives meet at the EU-Montenegro Stabilization and Association Council to review the progress made in EU-Montenegro relations as part of the stabilization and association process. At the last (11th) EU-Montenegro Stabilization and Association Council held in Podgorica on 14 July 2022, ministers discussed Montenegros accession strategy and reviewed the countrys progress in preparing for EU membership. Ministers also exchanged views on the latest developments in Montenegro and the Western Balkans. 

In the final assessment adopted in December 2022, the Council welcomed the overall progress made in Montenegros accession and stated that meeting the rule of law intermediate criteria is the top priority for further progress.In this context, the Council also noted that Montenegro needs to undertake important and urgent reforms to restore the functioning and credibility of the main judicial bodies and to address the stagnation in the implementation of key judicial reforms. The Council also encouraged Montenegro to increase its efforts in critical areas such as freedom of expression and media freedom and the fight against corruption and organized crime.

 

Serbia 

 

The EU launched the process for the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) with Serbia in October 2004, however the negotiations were stalled due to Serbia’s lack of cooperation with ICTY. With the arrest of suspected war criminals Ratko Mladic and Goran Hadzic, Serbia showed its willingness to further cooperate with more concrete actions. As a result, at the Foreign Affairs Council of June 2010, ministers agreed to submit the SAA to their respective parliaments for ratification. Moreover, on 19 December 2009, Serbian citizens were granted visa free travel to the Scehngen zone. Three days later, Serbia officially applied for EU membership and was granted candidate status on 1 March 2012.

The landmark deal concluded in April 2013 regarding the normalization of relations between Serbia and Kosovo, now recognized by more than 110 states, has enabled Serbia to start accession negotiations with the EU. On 21 January 2014, the first EU-Serbia Accession Conference which marked the official start of the accession negotiations took place. The Commission has made it clear that the speed of the accession talks will depend on Belgrade’s commitment to the normalization of its relations with Pristina and its record in the areas of judiciary and fundamental rights, and justice, freedom and security. Within the scope of Serbias accession negotiations, the normalization of relations with Kosovo is dealt with under "Chapter 35 - Other Issues" to which a great deal of significance is attributed by the EU.

After reaching key agreements in the EU-mediated Belgrade-Pristina high level dialogue, Serbia recevied a green light to open the first chapters in its accession talks. Chapters on Financial Control and on Other Issues (namely on the normalization of relations between Serbia and Kosovo) were opened for negotiations on 14 December 2015. On 18 July 2016, the key chapters dealing with judiciary and fundamental rights and justice, freedom and security (Chapters 23 and 24) were opened for negotiations. It is important to note that the opening of these chapters were previously blocked by Croatia. So far, Serbia has opened eighteen chapters and provisionally closed two chapters.

Progress in the EU-facilitated high-level Belgrade-Pristina dialogue is a key determinant in Serbias EU path. The EU expects that the dialogue to result in a legally binding agreement on normalisation of relations between Serbia and Kosovo for the two countries to advance on their respective EU paths. In July 2020, the dialogue resumed after a two year hiatus. 

In May 2021, the Council decided to apply the revised enlargement methodology to the accession negotiations with Montenegro and Serbia, which aims to revitalize the accession process, focus more on fundamental reforms and provide greater political direction. It also groups 35 negotiation chapters into six clusters. The 13^th accession conference meeting with Serbia, held at ministerial level on 14 December 2021, was the second intergovernmental conference since the Council approved the revised enlargement methodology. This meeting also resulted in the opening of the fourth cluster on the green agenda and sustainable connectivity. 

EU and Serbian representatives meet at the EU-Serbia Stabilization and Association Council to review the progress made in EU-Serbia relations as part of the stabilization and association process. As of January 2022, six EU-Serbia Stabilization and Association Council meetings have been held. At the last meeting, the parties discussed the COVID-19 pandemic and EU-Serbia relations, including EU aid, political criteria, economic criteria, EU law and pre-accession assistance. 

Each year, the Council evaluates the progress made by its partners in the Western Balkans and by Turkey on the European path, by adopting resolutions on the enlargement and stabilization and the association process. In the final resolutions adopted in December 2022, the Council welcomed the overall progress made by Serbia in the accession negotiations, but stressed that progress on the rule of law and fundamental rights and the normalization of Serbias relations with Kosovo are essential and will determine the pace of the negotiations.

The Council also expressed the need for Serbia to undertake important and urgent reforms to increase the independence and overall effectiveness of the judiciary and reiterated its serious concern at the lack of progress in improving freedom of expression and the independence of the media. The Council also stated that Serbia should pay special attention to the full respect of fundamental rights and the proper functioning of democratic institutions, and to increase its efforts to combat corruption.

In the context of Russias war of aggression against Ukraine, the Council expects Serbia to show firm commitment to the EU, defend common principles and values, communicate impartially on the EU issue, and work actively to prevent disinformation and foreign manipulation of information. The Council also expressed its deep regret that Serbia took a step back in harmonization with the EU common foreign and security policy, in particular its non-compliance with EU sanctions against Russia and Belarus.

 

North Macedonia 

 

Macedonia, which applied for EU membership on 22 March 2004, had been granted candidate status on 17 December 2005. Even though the European Commission has maintained its recommendation for the launch of accession negotiations since 2009, this has not been realized beacuse of the Greek veto in the Council of Ministers due to the "name issue". The stalemate in the countrys EU accession process has caused a slow down in political reforms. In order to overcome the stalemate the Commission in March 2012 initiated a "High-Level Accession Dialogue" with Macedonia. 

On 19 December 2009, visa liberalisation with the country came into force. Citizens of Macedonia gained the right to travel to the Schengen zone without a visa along with the citizens of Serbia and Montenegro.

The landmark Prespa Agreement reached between Skopje and Athens on 12 June 2018 ended the quarter century-long "name issue" and allowed for Athens to lift its veto in NATO and the EU Council. Following a complex ratification process, the country changed its name to "North Macedonia" paving the way for NATO membership on 27 March 2020. Despite the Commissions favorable recommendations for opening accession negotiations, the countrys EU accession process however was complicated due to the vetoes in the Council. Initially the process was stalled due to Frances demand for a radical overhaul of the accession methodology as a precondition for starting accession talks and later Bulgaria blocked the countrys negotiation framework document over disagreements on historical events and the origins of the countrys official language. Although the country received a green light from the Council to start accession talks on 25 March 2020 following the Commissions adoption of a revised accession methodology, due to Bulgarias veto in the Council no date has been set for the first intergovernmental conference which would mark the official start of the negotiations. 

On 19 July 2022, the EU held its first intergovernmental conference with North Macedonia. In the final conclusions adopted in December 2022, the Council welcomed the fact that the first intergovernmental conference was held in July 2022, stating that this was a clear recognition of the progress made by North Macedonia in advancing the EU reform agenda and achieving tangible and sustainable results. The Council also welcomed the progress made in the area of rule of law, but urged North Macedonia to further strengthen fundamental rights, media freedom and freedom of expression, noting that further efforts are needed. Concerning the judiciary, the Council emphasized the need to ensure the systematic implementation of the updated action plan for the judicial reform strategy and to accelerate the implementation of human resources strategies for the judiciary and prosecution. The Council also noted that North Macedonia has made limited progress in the field of public administration reform, noting that respecting the principles of transparency, merit and equal representation remains important. 

As of March 2023, 16 Stabilization and Association Council meetings have been held between the EU and North Macedonia. At the last meeting held in Skopje on 17 March 2023, the participants discussed the relations between the EU and North Macedonia and evaluated the progress made in the accession strategy, including the political, economic and EU law criteria for EU membership. 

 

 Albania 

 

Albania applied for EU membership on 28 April 2009. On 9 November 2010, the European Commission published its opinion on the application of Albania for membership in which it stated that Albania needed to undertake reforms in 12 priority areas in order to qualify for candidacy.

On 10 October 2012, in its annual Enlargement Strategy the Commission indicated that Albania had implemented most of the reforms pertaining to the 12 priorities, and as such it proposed for Albania to be granted candidate status, on the condition that it continues to reform the rules of procedure in the areas of justice, public administration and the parliament. On 12 November 2013, the European Commission launched a "High Level Dialogue" with Tirana after Albania successfully met the remaining key priorities and backed its reform process. The High Dialogue aims at sustaining consensus and the commitment of the country to its integration process with the EU.

On 4 June 2014, the Commission released its report in which it stressed that as Albania had pursued its effort in combating organised crime and corruption and had put in place the relevant measures to strengthen and respect the principle of the independence of the judicial system as well as its transparency and accountability, the country had shown its willingness to work jointly with the Venice Commission. Therefore the European Commission renewed its recommendation for Albania to be granted candidate status.

On 24 June 2014, the EU General Affairs Council decided to grant Albania candidate status. The decision was confirmed on 26-27 June by the heads of state and government at the EU summit. The Commission confirmed that in order to advance on its European path, Albania needed to fulfill the five priorities and undertake the necessary reforms in the area of administration and the judiciary, fundamental rights as well as the fight against corruption and organised crime. In July 2016, Albania took a major step in for constitutional arrangements paving the way for a comprehensive reform of the judiciary. In its 2016 Enlargement Package, the European Commission has recommended starting accession talks with Albania.

Together with North Macedonia, Albanias EU path has been stalled first due to Frances call for a complete overhaul of the accession methodology as well as Dutch and Danish reservations concerning its performance in the fight against organised crime and corruption. Following the adoption of a revised accession methodology strengthening the role of Member States in monitoring reforms and highlighting the reversibility of the process, the Council gave a green light for launching accesion talks with Albania and North Macedonia. However, Albania was urged to make further progress on electoral and judicial reforms and in the fight against organised crime and corruption. The Commission in its annual report, highlighted that Albania made progress towards fulfilling the additional conditions. The Commission presented the negotiating frameworks for Albania and North Macedonia to the Council in July 2020, however North Macedonias negotiation framework was vetoed by Bulgaria due to disagreements over history and language. As the two countries are treated as a package by the EU, this implies that Albanias accession process has also been stalled. 

On 19 July 2022, the EU held its first intergovernmental conference with Albania. In the final conclusions adopted in December 2022, the Council welcomed the fact that the first intergovernmental conference was held in July 2022, stating that this was a clear recognition of the progress Albania has made in advancing the EU reform agenda and achieving tangible and sustainable results. The Council welcomed the progress Albania has made on the rule of law, in particular by implementing comprehensive justice reform and strengthening the fight against corruption and organized crime. The Council also stressed that Albania needs to intensify its efforts to build a solid track record on high-level corruption. On fundamental rights, the Council called for Albania to make tangible progress on freedom of expression and transparently reinforce property rights.

As of March 2023, 12 EU-Albania Stabilization and Association Council meetings have been held. At the last meeting held in Tirana on 16 March 2023, the participants discussed the accession strategy, including the political, economic and EU law criteria for EU membership, and reviewed the progress made in implementing the stabilization and association agreement. 

 

Ukraine 

 

 

Ukraine applied for EU membership in February 2022 and was granted EU candidate status in June 2022. The Council announced that it will decide on the next steps after Ukraine fulfills the conditions set out in the European Commission’s opinion on the EU membership application.

At the special European Council meeting in February 2023, EU leaders welcomed Ukraines remarkable efforts to achieve the objectives underpinning its candidate status for EU membership. They also encouraged Ukraine to fulfill the conditions set out in the Commission’s opinion to stay on track for future EU membership. 

Each year, the Council adopts resolutions on the enlargement and stabilization and association process that assess the progress made by Türkiye and its partners in the Western Balkans on the European path. In December 2022, the Council referred to Ukraine for the first time in its final declaration.

The Council appreciated Ukraine’s remarkable effort under very difficult conditions to achieve the goals that underpin its candidacy status. The Council also acknowledged Ukraines progress in the reform process and encouraged Ukraine to continue to fulfill the conditions set out in the Commissions opinion on its application for EU membership.

The Council invited the Commission to draw up a roadmap outlining the next steps to be taken to facilitate Ukraine’s access to the EU single market, using the full potential of the association agreement and the deep and comprehensive free trade area with Ukraine. In parallel with the enlargement process, the EU and Ukraine cooperate to strengthen political and economic relations, including the Eastern Partnership. An association agreement between the EU and Ukraine has been in force since 2017, and the parties are constantly working on the implementation of this agreement, which aims to further deepen Ukraine’s political partnership and economic integration with the EU.

On February 28, 2022, Ukraine applied for EU membership. On 17 June 2022, the European Commission published its opinion on the application for EU membership. On 23 June 2022, the European Council granted Ukraine candidacy status. The Council has declared that it will decide on further steps to be taken when the necessary and specified conditions are fully met. On 17 June, the European Commission recommended to the Council of Europe that Ukraine be given the perspective of membership in the European Union and candidate status for accession. 

On 23 June, the European Parliament adopted a resolution calling for the immediate granting of candidacy status to Ukraine and Moldova for membership of the European Union and the promotion of the European perspective for Georgia. On the same day, the Council of Europe granted Ukraine candidacy status for accession to the European Union, provided that the seven necessary reforms are met. 

The European Commission has stated that it will evaluate whether the seven criteria have been completed at the end of 2022 at the first stage. The Ukrainian government has committed to complete the seven benchmarks by the end of autumn 2022. However, the European Council stated that this assessment will be addressed in the next annual enlargement package to be held in October 2023. As of November 2022, the Commission had not started evaluating the criteria. In an independent assessment by European Pravda, progress was rated only 4.7/10. In December the Commission agreed to submit a "preliminary assessment" of seven requirements by spring 2023.

In his speech in Moldova on 28 March 2023, the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, expressed his hope that they could initiate accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova by the end of the year. On 22 June, EU Neighborhood and Enlargement Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi gave an oral update on Ukraines progress on seven reforms. A second and decisive assessment is scheduled to be published in October 2023 as part of the EUs annual Enlargement Package.

 

Georgia 

 

Georgia applied for EU membership in March 2022. In June 2022, the European Council discussed the application and stated that it was ready to grant EU candidate status to Georgia, considering the priorities stated in the European Commissions opinion on the application for EU membership.

On March 3, 2022, Georgia applied for EU membership. On 17 June 2022, the European Commission published its opinion on the application for EU membership. On 23 June 2022, the European Council discussed Georgias EU membership application. The European Council stated that it is ready to grant candidate status to Georgia after the Commissions consideration of the priorities set out in its opinion on Georgias membership application.

In parallel with the enlargement process, the EU and Georgia cooperate to strengthen political and economic relations, including the Eastern Partnership. An association agreement between the EU and Georgia has been in force since 2016, and the partners are constantly working on the implementation of this agreement, which aims to further deepen Georgias political partnership and economic integration with the EU.

The association council is the highest level official body established to oversee the implementation of the EU-Georgia association agreement.

The fifth meeting of the association council was held on 5 March 2019. The meeting focused on the implementation of the EU-Georgia association agreement, including the free trade agreement. The association council also discussed the political developments in Georgia.

At the EU-Georgia Association Council, which was held for the sixth time on March 16, 2021, the parties discussed the political partnership and the issues of justice, freedom and security. The parties also discussed economic cooperation, trade and foreign policy issues.

At the seventh EU-Georgia association council meeting held on 6 September 2022, the EU expressed its unwavering support for Georgias territorial integrity and encouraged Georgia to accelerate its progress towards Europe. During the meeting, the parties also discussed EU-Georgia relations, political dialogue and reform, trade and economy, and peaceful resolution of conflicts.

 

Moldova 

 

Moldova applied for EU membership in March 2022 and was granted EU candidate status in June 2022. The Council has announced that it will decide on the steps to be taken after Moldova fulfills the conditions stated in the opinion of the European Commission regarding its EU membership application.

On March 3, 2022, Moldova applied for EU membership. On 17 June 2022, the European Commission published its opinion on the application for EU membership. On 23 June 2022, the European Council granted candidacy status to Moldova. The Council invited the European Commission to report to the Council on the fulfillment of the conditions set out in its opinion on the Commissions application for membership.

On 23 March 2023, the European Council confirmed that the European Union will continue to provide all necessary support to Moldova to strengthen its resilience, security, stability and economy and assist it on its path to EU accession. The European Council has invited the Commission to present a support package before the next meeting.

Each year, the Council adopts resolutions on the enlargement and stabilization and association process that assess the progress made by Türkiye and its partners in the Western Balkans on the European path. In December 2022, the Council referred to Moldova for the first time in its final declaration.

The Council acknowledged the remarkable efforts made by Moldova to achieve the goals underlying its candidacy status and encouraged the country to continue its reform agenda and fulfill the conditions set out in the Commissions opinion on its application for EU membership. The Council also highlighted the need to further deepen sectoral integration and further integrate Moldova into the EU internal market on the basis of better implementation of the Moldova-EU deep and comprehensive free trade area.

In parallel with the enlargement process, the EU and Moldova cooperate to strengthen political and economic relations, including the Eastern Partnership. An association agreement between the EU and Moldova has been in force since 2016, and the partners are constantly working on the implementation of this agreement, which aims to further deepen Moldovas political partnership and economic integration with the EU.

 

 

Bosnia and Herzegovina 

 

 

Bosnias integration with the EU has been marred by years of political instability and a lack of consensus between the political leadership of the country regarding the future direction of the country. Bosnia and Herzegovina has tesed the credibility of the EUs principle of political conditionality. In December 2014, the EU has revised its conditionality vis-a-vis Bosnia. Following the adoption of a written commitment to socio-economic reforms by the authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) between Bosnia and the EU entred into force on 1 June 2015. Bosnia and Herzegovina sumitted its application for EU membership on 15 February 2016. Following the recognition of meaningful progress in the implementation of the Reform Agenda in September 2016 the EU Council invited the European Commission to submit its Opinion on Bosnia and Herzegovinas application for EU membership.

Presenting its Opinion (Avis) concerning Bosnia’s membership application in May 2019, the European Commission identified 14 key priorities for the opening of EU accession negotiations, which were endorsed by the Council in December 2019. The Opinion is seen as a comprehensive roadmap for deep reforms in the areas of democracy, the rule of law, fundamental rights and public administration reform.

The EU remains committed to strengthening the rule of law in Bosnia and Herzegovina through other instruments, including the reinforced EUSR Office and the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA). Citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina have been benefitting from visa-free travel to the Schengen zone since December 2010. 

In June 2022, the European Council also called on all political leaders of Bosnia and Herzegovina to swiftly implement the commitments set in a political agreement and complete the constitutional and electoral reform in line with priorities.

In December 2022, the Council decided to grant EU candidacy status to Bosnia and Herzegovina, provided that the steps outlined in the Commissions enlargement policy communication of October 2022 are implemented in order to strengthen the rule of law, fight against corruption and organized crime, migration management and fundamental rights. This status is a very important turning point for Bosnia and Herzegovina, which has not been able to provide stability in the post-war internal administration. However, there are fundamental and chronic problems that Bosnia and Herzegovina must overcome in order to join the EU. These are: failure to establish the rule of law and corruption, structural problems with the functioning of state institutions, and problems with the countrys constitutional structure, which stemmed from Dayton. The EU has also clearly stated that Bosnia and Herzegovina must resolve its constitutional problems in order to start accession negotiations. Bosnia and Herzegovinas current constitution is complex and divisive and poses a major obstacle to the countrys progress towards EU membership. 

In the final results adopted in December 2022, the Council noted with concern that overall limited progress has been made in the area of reform, but welcomed some recent steps taken, such as changes to the public procurement law, appointment of judges and adoption of a counter-terrorism strategy.  In line with the institutional mechanisms established by the Dayton Peace Agreement, the Council emphasized that Bosnia and Herzegovina should carry out further constitutional and electoral reforms to ensure equality of all citizens and non-discrimination. The Council also reiterated its call for an inclusive process of limited constitutional and electoral reforms through genuine dialogue. The Council welcomed the substantial availability of the legal and institutional framework in Bosnia and Herzegovina, but urged the country to significantly intensify its reform efforts on human rights, gender equality and non-discrimination. The Council also expects Bosnia and Herzegovina to take the necessary steps on public administration reform and notes that no progress has been made on freedom of expression and the safety of journalists.

As of July 2023, five EU-Bosnia and Herzegovina Stabilization and Association Council meetings have been held. At the last meeting, the participants discussed EU-Bosnia and Herzegovina relations and the pre-accession process, focusing on political and economic criteria, EU law and pre-accession assistance. 

 

 

Kosovo 

 

 

Kosovo declared its independence on 17 February 2008. So far, Kosovo has been recognised by over 110 UN Member States, while five EU Member States have not recognised this. The EU-Kosovo Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) has entered into force on 1 April 2016. To guide reforms under the implementation of the SAA, the Commission and Kosovo started work on a European Reform Agenda for Kosovo. The Agenda outlines priority actions in the fields of good governance and rule of law, competitiveness and investment climate, as well as employment and education. The EU helps contribute to stability in Kosovo through the EULEX rule of law mission in Kosovo and its Special Representation on the ground. 

Kosovos integration with the EU is closely linked to the normalisation of relations with Serbia and the EU-facilitated high-level Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, which should result in a legally binding comprehensive agreement. In July 2020, the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue resumed after a two year hiatus. 

As the only country in the region whose citizens require visas while travelling to the Schengen zone, visa liberalisation remains a key priority for Kosovo. The European Commission in July 2018 confirmed that Kosovo had fulfilled the benchmarks for visa liberalisation however, the Council is yet to act on the issue. 

In October 2020, the Commission adopted an Economy and Investment Plan to support the Western Balkans and bring it closer to the EU. EU-Kosovo Stabilization and Association Council, 7 December 2021. At the fourth meeting of the Stability and Association Council, the status of relations between the EU and Kosovo was reviewed.

Regarding the relations within the scope of the Stabilization and Association Process, the parties specifically discussed the following: political criteria, economic criteria, financial cooperation, Implementation of the Stabilization and Association Agreement. 

The partners also exchanged views on developments in the Western Balkans. Meeting in Brussels, the members of the Stability and Association Council reviewed the progress made by Kosovo on the European path following the publication of the European Commissions 2021 Report on Kosovo.

Up to date information on the state of play in the enlargement process is available on the website of the European Commission’s Directorate General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations (DG NEAR) can be accessed by clicking here.

Last updated: September 2023