EU and Western Balkans leaders meet in Tivat on June 5, eye Montenegro accession by 2028 and faster enlargement; €675m Growth Plan, Roam Like at Home extended

EU and Western Balkans leaders convened the EU-Western Balkans Summit at Porto Montenegro in Tivat, on the Bay of Kotor, on June 5, 2026 — the highest-profile enlargement gathering in years and the first such meeting Montenegro has hosted. Attendees included European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Antonio Costa, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Von der Leyen pressed urgency: 'Enlargement is merit-based, but merit-based does not mean slow.' Montenegro emerged as the clear frontrunner, with the EU drafting its accession treaty and a target of becoming the 28th member state by 2028 — the bloc's first new entrant since Croatia in 2013 — followed by Albania.

The summit advanced the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, which the EU said has disbursed €675 million with a further €540 million tranche incoming, tied to reforms and gradual single-market access. Leaders also authorized negotiations to extend the EU's 'Roam Like at Home' scheme to Western Balkans partners, alongside pledges on cybersecurity cooperation and youth mobility. France and Germany floated 'gradual integration,' letting reform-compliant candidates join select EU formats (including European Council sessions) before full membership.

Serbia faced pointed pressure over its geopolitical alignment, with Merz saying Belgrade must 'decide where it stands.' Eight candidates were referenced — Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, plus Ukraine and Moldova — as Brussels reframed enlargement as a strategic investment in European security.