The European Union is developing separate roadmaps for the accession of Montenegro, Ukraine, Moldova and Albania - the four countries considered closest to membership in the bloc. The plans should provide a clearer and phased timetable for reforms and negotiations, without automatically setting a date for full accession.
This was reported by “Politico“, citing two high-ranking representatives of the European Commission involved in the preparation of the projects. According to the publication, each of the four countries will receive a specific list of requirements, indicative deadlines and intermediate goals for the completion of individual negotiation clusters.
The plan will set commitments not only to the candidates, but also to the current member states. They will have to approve the move to the next stages of the procedure, which is based on unanimity among EU countries.
Commission promises clear deadlines and tasks
A European Commission spokesperson confirmed to “Politico“ that the new documents will outline “the path towards the conclusion of accession negotiations“. According to him, they will contain a priority list, deadlines and specific tasks to help the most advanced candidates implement the necessary reforms.
At the same time, Brussels emphasizes that the process remains based on the results achieved. The European Commission states that candidates must fully meet the membership criteria, and the roadmaps will not replace the requirements for the rule of law, functioning democratic institutions and compliance with EU law.
At this stage, plans will not be offered to Kosovo, North Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Georgia, Turkey and Serbia are also left out of the initiative, with their applications blocked or delayed due to political problems and concerns about a backsliding in democratic standards and judicial independence.
The four candidates have already made progress
Montenegro is the frontrunner in the negotiation process. The country has opened all 33 negotiation chapters and provisionally closed 18 of them. In April, member states agreed to start preparing its accession treaty - the first such step since Croatia's accession in 2013.
Albania has also opened all 33 chapters, with three already provisionally closed. Ukraine and Moldova started negotiations on the first clusters in June 2026, covering fundamental issues and external relations. On 14 July, the EU held four intergovernmental conferences with the four countries on the same day.
The next political step will be the presentation of the individual review of the candidates' gradual rapprochement with the EU on 6 October. European leaders will also discuss the topic at the European Council meeting on 15 and 16 October.
Sources: Politico