In December, EU leaders agreed to open accession negotiations with Ukraine. While the European Commission said in a recent report that the country needed to implement further reforms, the German government has now said that Ukraine has fulfilled these reforms.
Two decades of EU membership are a reason to celebrate. On May 1, 2004, ten Eastern European states joined the bloc – the EU’s biggest enlargement to date. However, amidst the festivities, attention turns to regions like the Western Balkans, who are still on the waiting list for EU accession.
The EU leaders’ decision to initiate negotiation talks with Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) marked a historic moment for the country. Seen as a political move amid shifting geopolitics, particularly after Ukraine was granted candidate status for EU membership, Bosnia still faces many hurdles on its path to EU accession.
The European Commission has recommended that the EU open accession negotiations with Bosnia and Herzegovina. The European Newsroom (enr) spoke to European Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi about the country’s path to the EU.
Ambassadors from the 27 EU member states have been given a partial mandate to negotiate with the European Parliament on new long-term financial aid for Ukraine. Austria’s Karoline Edtstadler reacts to the announcement of European Council President Charles Michel’s resignation. Statistics from the EU delegation in Tirana show that the EU is financially supporting Albania with pre-accession funds.