Montenegro could become EU member state number 28

Many countries want to become EU members - things are going best for Montenegro. The EU believes that the small Balkan country can join as early as 2028. For other states, however, there is just ehe

Commission analysis Montenegro could become EU member state number 28 As of: November 4th, 2026 • 3:11 p.m

Many countries want to become EU members - things are going best for Montenegro. The EU believes that the small Balkan country can join as early as 2028. For other countries, however, there is currently no prospect.

The EU Commission sees the enlargement of the Union as a contribution to peace, stability and prosperity in Europe. According to their assessment, the Western Balkan country Montenegro could become the next new member. According to a new analysis by the authority, the country may successfully complete accession negotiations by the end of the year. The recording could take place in 2028.

It will be crucial in the coming weeks that Montenegro sustainably implements the reforms it has decided on, the paper continues. The Commission then says it assumes that the accession treaty can be signed in June 2027. An accession treaty must then be negotiated and ratified by all 27 member states.

The small country on the Adriatic coast only has around 620,000 inhabitants - about as many as Düsseldorf.

According to the Commission, Albania and Moldova could also join the EU in the coming years. The authority also supports Ukraine's accession efforts.

The conclusion of the accession negotiations with Albania is believed to be possible at the end of 2027, and those with Moldova at the beginning of 2028. However, it will probably take many months for them to join the EU. During this time, an accession contract must first be fully negotiated and signed. All member states and the candidate country must then ratify the treaty.

For all countries, the Commission emphasizes that they can only achieve their goals if they meet all the admission conditions.

For the newest EU member, Croatia, the entire process took around two years. The country joined on July 1, 2013. Since then there have been no further EU accessions. When Great Britain left in 2020, the number of member states fell back to 27.

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Ukraine wants to conclude accession negotiations at the end of 2028. "The European Commission supports this ambitious goal, but believes that this requires an acceleration of the pace of reform," the analysis says. For example, reforms to the rule of law and the fight against corruption are considered difficult. What is particularly challenging is that the reforms have to be implemented during the Russian war of aggression.

The integration of its huge agricultural sector will also be a problem if Ukraine joins the EU. The EU Commission therefore proposed to provide for transitional regulations for Ukraine that could significantly limit financial support and access to the European market for certain agricultural products.

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The prospect of joining the EU is very important for Ukraine. Membership would bind it more closely to the West economically and politically and also offer it additional security through the assistance clause in the EU treaty. However, admission during the war is considered politically hardly conceivable.

Of the four candidate countries, Ukraine is by far the largest. According to the latest World Bank figures, the country has around 39 million inhabitants - less than half as many as Germany - but at around 604,000 square kilometers it is almost 1.7 times as big as Germany.

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The EU enlargement process has recently regained momentum, primarily due to geopolitical considerations. The admission of additional states is also intended to strengthen the EU's influence and prevent countries from entering into closer partnerships with Russia or China out of disappointment at the lack of accession prospects. The Western Balkans in particular are considered a particularly strategically important region, among other things because of their importance for European security, energy supplies and migration policy.

There are currently no accession timetables for the candidate countries Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, North Macedonia and Kosovo as well as for Turkey and Georgia. Sufficient progress has not yet been made in these countries. In the case of Türkiye and Georgia, the accession process is completely on hold due to democratic and constitutional deficits.