EU summit with western Balkan leaders to reaffirm membership prospects

European leaders will seek to show six western Balkan countries that they have a real chance of joining the EU one day, despite splits over how to handle enlargement of the 27-member bloc. Emmanuel Macron, Friedrich Merz, Giorgia Meloni and Ursula von der Leyen are among more than 30 leaders expected to gather in the Montenegrin coastal resort of Tivat on Friday for summit talks. The focus will be on integrating the six Balkan countries – among them Montenegro and Albania – more deeply into the EU single market, paving the way for them to join the bloc. “The commitment of the European Union to the western Balkans is real. As real as the opportunity for enlargement,” said the European Council president, António Costa, earlier this week in Sarajevo. Costa described EU enlargement, as Russia and China vie for influence in the region, as a “geostrategic interest for Europe” and an “investment in the peace, stability and security of our continent”. More than 30 EU leaders are expected to gather in the Montenegrin coastal resort of Tivat on Friday for summit talks. Photograph: Stevo Vasiljević/Reuters The summit comes after Hungary’s new government dropped its veto over Ukraine moving to the next stage of EU talks, a step hailed as a milestone by insiders. Péter Magyar’s decision on Wednesday enables Ukraine and Moldova to open negotiations later this month on the first chapters of the EU rulebook, the section dedicated to the rule of law and democratic standards. …