Speech by President António Costa at the Euronews EU Enlargement Summit 14:50 On 4 November 2025, European Council President António Costa gave a speech at the Euronews EU[...]

I am particularly happy to be addressing you here today, on the most important day of the yearly calendar for enlargement; the day when the European Commission enlargement reports are published.

Since the first days of my mandate, as President of Council, I have made enlargement one of my top priorities. I started my mandate on 1 December in Ukraine, and two days later, on 3 December, I met with all Western Balkans leaders here in Brussels. It is a priority that I deeply believe in.

And the current geopolitical context makes this priority all the more urgent and necessary for the European Union. Why? In an age of geopolitical uncertainty and economic instability, an enlarged European Union means a safer, stronger and more peaceful Europe, at home and in the world. Enlarging is the best investment we can make today for our future.

And if you read today's enlargement report - I am sure most of you already have - you will have read a striking sentence: "This is the first Commission mandate since 2010-2014 where enlargement is a realistic possibility".

And this, ladies and gentlemen, is our objective- is my objective- for the coming years. I will start from basics: Ukraine, Moldova, and the Western Balkan countries belong in the European Union. 2025 was a year of concrete progress for our enlargement partners. We have seen very hard work deliver very real progress.

Montenegro has made the biggest progress and their ambition to close negotiations by end 2026 today looks credible, if they continue with the same commitment and intensive work on the required reforms. I believe that Montenegro can be the "28 at 28".

Moldova and Ukraine have made impressive progress. Ukraine - a country at war - and Moldova facing repeated attacks on its democracy and sovereignty, have, in the course of one year, completed the screening of the acquis by the Commission-at record speed.

Albania has also put in a huge amount of work and has greatly accelerated progress in it accession path. And I believe we can still see more progress from Serbia, Bosnia Herzegovina and North Macedonia until the end of the year - 2025 can be an important year for them. That means for us.Three years after the submission of a membership application, Kosovo should get a positive signal.

They are an integral part of the Western Balkans enlargement perspective. The European Union is helping enlargement countries meet all the criteria for membership and has stepped up their gradual integration, in order to improve their level of preparation for membership.

The Growth Plan for the Western Balkans and Moldova, worth up to €6 billion, is already delivering results, changing the everyday lives of the people by:

• joining the Single Euro Payments Area
• reducing border waiting times
• expanding digital networks

And from January 2026, Moldova and Ukraine are joining the European Union's free-roaming zone.

Enlargement today is not an abstract vision or a wish list. It is a transformational process. It is essential to consolidate democracy and the rule of law, at the same time these are two crucial prerequisites for a successful enlargement. We must be more demanding on the standards, and more efficient and pragmatic on the process.

To continue the path of deep reforms, in line with the merit-based approach and, in parallel, prepare the European Union to be ready, efficient, and capable of welcoming new members. It is not about adding a new step; it is about doing both paths in parallel, because both are necessary for the candidate countries and for the European Union. This is an internal homework which cannot be avoided or postponed indefinitely.

The success of the European Union came from the brave and visionary political determination of our predecessors, to overcome centuries of war. The same brave and visionary determination and will, must be shown today. Accession partners must decide if they have that determination to move forward with their European Union transformation or if they prefer to remain trapped by painful historical legacies.

The European Union must also decide whether it can afford to lose more time, and if it is ready to evolve and adapt to the current geopolitical realities. It is my strong belief that Europe must not become a museum of past prosperity. I invite you all today, to continue the hard work, to make the reforms to turn this realistic prospect of enlargement into a reality for the people of the Western Balkans, Ukraine and Moldova.