Brussels drafts new enlargement rules — Montenegro and Iceland considered as a joint package for EU entry
Iceland must vote to resume accession talks on 29 August; Marta Kos says negotiations could take "one to two years" if Reykjavik proceeds.
Brussels is preparing new rules for EU enlargement and is considering Montenegro and Iceland as a joint package for accession, with a potential target of 2028 if conditions are met.
European officials and diplomats briefing Brussels’ plans say the proposal would hinge on Iceland voting to resume membership talks in a referendum scheduled for 29 August. European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos described Iceland as "a special case" and said that, should Reykjavik decide to restart negotiations on 29 August, the talks could last "one to two years."
What it means for North Macedonia
The new approach under discussion would reshape timelines for several candidates, but for North Macedonia the long-standing requirement remains progress on constitutional amendments related to minority representation. Domestic experts propose internal guarantees that could link legal changes to the opening and closing of negotiation clusters.
"A certain internal mechanism whereby the state, on the one hand, will request the opening of several clusters — preferably all clusters at the Second Intergovernmental Conference — and we'll see what we manage to obtain. With a mechanism by which amendments to certain laws would be tied to the clusters and their closing, it could be progress in unblocking the second intergovernmental conference," said Simonida Katsarska, director of EPI.
At home, Prime Minister Mickoski is expected to visit Brussels in the coming days, though details of his programme and meetings have not been disclosed. Meanwhile, the foreign minister warned that "the idea of constitutional amendments has become toxic, and Macedonia has become 'a case study' of how bilateral disputes can obstruct the EU enlargement process."
Analysts caution that any new enlargement framework will be judged by whether Brussels can deliver concrete steps and timelines. For North Macedonia, the immediate task remains securing internal political consensus on the constitutional changes and exploring mechanisms that could translate domestic reforms into measurable progress in the accession talks.
Photo: press material from the event
