00:00The prospect of EU enlargement looked closer than at any point in the past decade at the Euronews Enlargement Summit
00:06in Brussels.
00:07But political disputes and disagreements over membership terms continue to stand in the way.
00:12Here are five key takeaways.
00:14First, Armenia and Georgia are moving in opposite directions.
00:18Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said applying for EU membership in 2027 or 2028 was realistic.
00:25When you are a democratic country, you want to be in a democratic club.
00:30Next year can be realistic.
00:332028 can be realistic.
00:36But you know, now we are focused on visa liberalization dialogue.
00:40Georgia's accession process, however, has been stalled since 2024 over controversial laws on foreign influence and family values.
00:48Prime Minister Iraklik Obakice offered no clear plan to restart negotiations and said his government would not repeal the laws.
00:54European Commission was using the candidate status issue at the first stage and then the accession talks issue at the
01:03second stage to blackmail Georgia, to blackmail the Georgian society.
01:09Second, Montenegro remains at the front of the accession race aiming to join by 2028.
01:15But European Affairs Minister Maida Gorcevic rejected the idea of second-class membership after the European Commission proposed safeguards for
01:23new members, including a possible 15-year probation period.
01:27Croatia's Prime Minister Andrzej Planković also warned that the upcoming French election could derail enlargement.
01:34Third, Albania is pushing to conclude its EU negotiations by the end of 2027.
01:40When asked how the membership would affect the country's controversial deal with Italy to transfer irregular migrants to deportation camps,
01:48Prime Minister Eddie Rama said the deal will stay for as long as need be, promising to keep it in
01:53force as long as Georgia Meloni remains in power.
01:55There is nothing better.
01:57North Macedonia, meanwhile, remains blocked by a dispute with Bulgaria, which is demanding constitutional changes to recognize the country's Bulgarian
02:05minority.
02:06Culturally.
02:07Fourth, Ukraine rejected permanent restrictions on its agricultural exports after joining the EU.
02:13Prime Minister Sergei Koretsky said any temporary measures must address specific risks and include clear review and exit conditions.
02:20Kiev wants to start closing negotiation chapters in the first half of 2027.
02:27And fifth, Moldova is emerging as one of the fastest-moving candidates.
02:32And get the security that it needs.
02:33Prime Minister Vasilya Tofan argued that progress towards EU membership by Ukraine and Moldova would benefit both countries.
02:40Cold-scale invasions.
