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The European Parliament on Wednesday reviewed the European Union accession progress of five Western Balkan countries—Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia and Montenegro, adopting separate reports on each.
The reports welcomed progress made by the region's EU aspirants while highlighting persistent challenges related to political reforms, the rule of law, corruption and institutional development.
In a report adopted by 483 votes in favor, 103 against and 70 abstentions, lawmakers welcomed Albania's rapid progress in recent years and called on authorities to ensure that the adopted legislation is fully implemented.
The report said Albania continues to face challenges, including political polarization, rule-of-law issues and the consolidation of anti-corruption reforms.
It noted Albania's ambition to close membership negotiations by the end of 2027, warning that the pace of accession will depend on the quality of reforms.
The parliament adopted its report on Bosnia and Herzegovina with 478 votes in favor, 116 against and 54 abstentions, reaffirming support for the country's EU accession based on unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The report called for reforms to strengthen democratic institutions, uphold the rule of law, combat corruption and organized crime, and guarantee fundamental rights for all citizens.
Lawmakers urged the country's political leaders to renew their commitment to EU membership and called for an end to political obstructionism and divisive rhetoric.
A report on Kosovo passed with 412 votes in favor, 174 against and 58 abstentions, commending the country's continued commitment to its EU membership bid while expressing concern over its failure to form a functioning legislature and government for more than a year.
The report called on Kosovo's government to accelerate reforms in the rule of law, fundamental freedoms and anti-corruption efforts.
Lawmakers said the normalization of relations with Serbia remains essential to Kosovo's EU ambitions.
The parliament adopted its report on Montenegro by 486 votes in favor, 101 against and 75 abstentions, welcoming the country's steady progress on EU-related reforms.
The report noted Montenegro's aim to complete accession negotiations by the end of 2026 and join the EU as its 28th member by 2028.
It added that political commitment to the country's independent statehood remains a key criterion in the process.
Montenegro remains a frontrunner among EU candidate countries, having provisionally closed 16 of the 33 negotiating chapters as of a June 15 accession conference, according to EU Council figures, with officials in Podgorica targeting the conclusion of talks by the end of 2026.
A report on North Macedonia, adopted by 411 votes in favor, 120 against and 120 abstentions, underlined the parliament's support for the country's EU membership bid while noting that progress depends on lasting reforms.
Lawmakers said they regretted the lack of progress since the previous report, particularly on the rule of law, judicial reform and the fight against corruption.
The report called for renewed political commitment and cross-party cooperation to adopt constitutional amendments needed to open the first negotiating cluster.
Albania has advanced steadily, opening all negotiating clusters to close accession talks by 2027.
By contrast, Bosnia and Herzegovina's accession process has yet to move into the chapter-by-chapter negotiating phase more than two years after the European Council agreed to open talks, as the bloc still awaits compliance with conditions set out in the negotiating framework.
Meanwhile, North Macedonia's bid remains tied to constitutional changes that Skopje has yet to adopt, while Kosovo's path continues to depend on the normalization of relations with Serbia.
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