The European Commission adopted its annual Enlargement Package on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, and presented indicative roadmaps for the four most-advanced candidate countries — Montenegro, Albania, Moldova and Ukraine — saying sustained reforms are now translating into concrete progress towards European Union membership, the Commission said in its official announcement.

Source: European Commission

Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the progress achieved over the last year allows the EU to turn "the promise of enlargement into reality". "We are now proposing a set of indicative roadmaps for the most advanced negotiating countries — Montenegro, Albania, Ukraine and Moldova. A clear path for the year ahead and a firm anchor for the upcoming negotiations," she said. The roadmaps are indicative milestones for the year ahead, not binding accession dates — member states must still agree every step, and all 27 must vote in favour of any accession treaty.

Source: European Commission

Montenegro: closest to the finish line

Montenegro has made remarkable progress, the Commission said, having provisionally closed 21 chapters to date. Subject to member states' agreement, it could provisionally close the remaining chapters by the end of this year. The ongoing work on Montenegro's accession treaty, alongside the adoption of Council conclusions on the financial package for its accession, confirms that Montenegro is close to the final stage of its accession process, the Commission said — though it added that sustained reform efforts and broad political consensus remain essential.

Source: European Commission

Albania: last cluster opened, 2027 target in sight

Albania continues to make progress, the Commission said: during the reporting period it opened the last remaining cluster and met the interim benchmarks on the rule-of-law chapters, paving the way for the provisional closure of four chapters. Reaching Albania's ambitious but achievable objective of concluding accession negotiations by 2027 requires maintaining reform momentum and fostering inclusive political dialogue, the Commission said — noting that the reporting period also saw the country's largest civic mobilisation since its democratic transition.

Source: European Commission

Moldova and Ukraine: four clusters each, different finish lines

Moldova has continued to make steady progress, having opened four clusters over the past year, the Commission said, and its assessment remains that Moldova has met the conditions required to open all remaining clusters. It has intensified alignment of its legislation with the EU acquis across all chapters and made very substantial progress towards the interim benchmarks under the fundamentals cluster — enough, the Commission said, to pursue its ambitious but achievable objective of closing accession negotiations by early 2028.

Source: European Commission

Ukraine remains committed to its EU path despite the challenges caused by Russia's war of aggression, the Commission said, having also opened four clusters over the past year, with its assessment remaining that it has met the conditions to open all remaining clusters. Its institutional framework for combating corruption remains effective, with specialised anti-corruption institutions continuing to operate overall independently and effectively, the Commission said. The focus now should be on meeting the interim benchmarks under the rule of law and delivering on roadmaps on the rule of law, democratic institutions and public administration reform — to put Ukraine in a position to meet its ambitious objective of closing negotiations by the end of 2028.

Source: European Commission

The other side of the package: Serbia stalls, Georgia 'in name only'

Serbia did not make any substantive progress in accession negotiations, the Commission said, with increasing societal polarisation, negative trends on the fundamentals that ran counter to the authorities' declared EU objective, and alignment with the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy remaining low. Georgia's accession process remains de facto halted, the Commission said, and its assessment of Georgia as a candidate country in name only remains valid, with the ruling party continuing to undermine democratic principles, the rule of law, fundamental rights and civic space.

Source: European Commission

North Macedonia continued work on the opening benchmarks for the fundamentals cluster but has yet to adopt the constitutional amendments it committed to undertake, the Commission said. Bosnia and Herzegovina, while publicly declaring EU integration a strategic goal, increasingly disengaged from its EU path, with divisive rhetoric and anti-EU narratives increasing ahead of general elections. Kosovo saw its reform process stall amid a prolonged institutional crisis, though the Commission lifted its measures against Kosovo after local governance transferred in northern Kosovo. Türkiye remains a candidate and a key partner, but legal actions against elected officials, opposition figures and civil society have intensified, and the gap between its declared EU objective and its backsliding on fundamental political criteria has widened further.

Source: European Commission

Gradual integration before membership

Alongside the roadmaps, the Commission presented a common framework for gradual integration, to deepen integration in strategic sectors such as energy, transport, digital and defence before accession. The framework builds on existing support: the €6 billion Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, the €1.9 billion Moldova Growth Plan and the €50 billion Ukraine Facility — yaani, in round terms, 600 crore, 190 crore and 5,000 crore euro respectively — which allow wider single-market integration and participation in programmes such as SEPA and 'Roam Like at Home'. Over the next six months the Commission will launch dialogues on gradual integration with the enlargement partners.

Source: European Commission

What happens next

It is now for the Council — the member states — to consider the Commission's recommendations and take decisions on the steps ahead, the Commission said. Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos will present the package to the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs on Wednesday afternoon in Brussels (13:00–14:30 local time). For Montenegro, the immediate test is whether member states agree to close its remaining chapters by the end of this year; for Ukraine and Moldova, whether the reform pace that opened four clusters each can be held through a war winter and an election cycle. The Commission said it may adjust the roadmaps depending on progress and will update them regularly.

Source: European Parliament