EU prepares roadmaps for four candidate countries; North Macedonia waits for a clear signal

Brussels is preparing targeted roadmaps and indicative timetables for four EU candidate countries, while North Macedonia waits for a clear signal about its own accession prospects, officials say. The development comes ahead of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s visit to the Western Balkans and ahead of an EU leaders’ strategic discussion on enlargement scheduled for 15 October 2026 in Brussels.

According to senior Commission officials, Montenegro, Ukraine, Moldova and Albania are being considered as the group most likely to receive step‑by‑step plans that would set out obligations, benchmarks and approximate dates for closing negotiating clusters if reforms continue. The measures are intended to give greater predictability to a process that critics say has dragged on for decades.

At the same time, the same officials say Kosovo, North Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina would not be included in the initial set of roadmaps. Georgia, Turkey and Serbia also remain outside the proposed plan because of what Brussels describes as shortcomings on democratic standards and rule of law.

What the roadmaps would contain

The proposed documents are expected to spell out both the reforms required of each candidate and the responsibilities of EU member states that must approve progress. They would list indicative timelines for completing negotiating clusters — the key milestones on the path to membership — and could include mechanisms to prevent future members from blocking Union policies or backtracking on commitments.

Domestic reactions in Skopje were cautious. Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski urged quicker delivery of tangible benefits for citizens in the Western Balkans, including easier conditions for hauliers and the introduction of free roaming for the region inside the EU. Mickoski also repeated calls for the EU to take a direct role in talks between Skopje and Sofia so both sides’ arguments are heard and the process remains stable and predictable.

Opposition leader Venko Filipche said his party will support any measure that strengthens North Macedonia’s negotiating position or guarantees the country will not be blocked again on its European path. MEP Thomas Waitz — the European Parliament’s new rapporteur for North Macedonia — told a local enlargement forum that EU accession should be seen as a process that delivers concrete improvements in citizens’ lives, not only an end goal.

Photo: press material from the event