European Council President António Costa called for streamlined European Union accession rules during a summit in Montenegro on June 5, 2026 [1].
This proposal seeks to accelerate the integration of Western Balkan nations into the EU to ensure regional stability and counter geopolitical influence. By simplifying the rules, the EU aims to make the enlargement process more predictable and less susceptible to political deadlock.
Speaking in Tivat, Montenegro [2], Costa participated in an exclusive interview with Euronews EU Editor Maria Tadeo. During the discussion, Costa addressed the complexities of the current enlargement framework and the necessity of reform to maintain the credibility of the EU's promises to candidate countries.
"We need to streamline the EU enlargement rules by removing the need for unanimity at each stage," Costa said [3].
The current system often requires all member states to agree on a candidate's progress, a mechanism that can be used to block progress for political reasons. Costa said that removing this requirement would prevent individual member states from stalling the accession of countries that have met the necessary criteria.
Costa also highlighted the specific achievements of the host nation during the opening of the summit. "I welcome the progress Montenegro has made in the accession process," Costa said [4].
The summit in Tivat [2] served as a platform to discuss the strategic importance of the Western Balkans. Costa said that the EU must remain an attractive and attainable partner for these nations to ensure long-term peace, and economic cooperation in the region.
“"We need to streamline the EU enlargement rules by removing the need for unanimity at each stage."”
The push to remove the unanimity requirement represents a significant shift in EU governance. If implemented, it would transition the enlargement process from a consensus-based model to one that likely relies on qualified majority voting. This change would reduce the leverage of single member states to veto candidate countries, potentially speeding up the timeline for Western Balkan integration while testing the political cohesion of the current union.
