Stronger EU leadership is needed to fix stalled enlargement

European leaders are gathering for the second Euronews Enlargement Summit at a pivotal moment for continental integration. Yet progress among candidate nations remains markedly uneven across the Western Balkans and Eastern Europe.

Montenegro is currently held back by bilateral disputes, while domestic protests hinder Albania's path. Further east, Moldova and Ukraine continue to advance at different speeds. The European Commission’s roadmaps now risk widening the gap between fast-moving frontrunners and stalled candidate states.

Sceptics of rapid expansion rightly point out that accession criteria must remain strict to safeguard rule-of-law standards and protect internal EU stability. Admitting unprepared countries risks creating governance bottlenecks inside the Union later.

Yet leaving candidate states stranded in bilateral deadlocks weakens Europe as a whole. Enlargement remains the continent's most effective instrument for projecting stability and democratic norms. When individual national disputes derail the broader process, the Union loses geopolitical weight in its own neighbourhood.

A unified accession strategy, backed by collective EU leadership, would ensure candidate states are judged strictly on objective reforms rather than national friction. Europe can secure its neighbourhood, but only if it speaks with one voice on expansion.