Merz: EU enlargement to the Western Balkans is a geopolitical imperative

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz told leaders at the Berlin Process summit in Sveti Stefan that EU membership for the Western Balkans is a strategic necessity and urged the six countries in the region to step up reforms.

"Membership of the countries in the region is a geopolitical imperative," Merz said, framing enlargement as a safeguard against outside powers vying for influence.

Merz: reform and political will must come from the region

Addressing the summit, Merz warned that "the Western Balkans must not become a place for great-power rivalry. It is in our common interest that the path of these countries leads unwaveringly into the EU. Only through this shared perspective in the single European market and in EU institutions will the necessary stability for the region be achieved. How urgent this is is also shown to us by the brutal Russian aggressive war in Ukraine."

He added a call to action for governments in the region: "We as the EU have done our part, but you must do yours. Reforms and political will must come from you." Merz also recalled his joint initiative with French President Emmanuel Macron for gradual integration of the Western Balkan countries, saying that the effort has made progress.

Austrian Chancellor Christian Stoecker, who announced Austria will take the presidency of the process next year, said his country's priorities will include youth, cooperation and reconciliation. "Austria has ambitious goals, but decisive steps must be taken in the region," Stoecker said, and he stressed that "bilateral issues must not block the enlargement process. They must not delay this important geopolitical process."

Summit participants welcomed Montenegro's progress toward EU accession. The host country is expected to complete negotiations in 2027 and to accede to the European Union in 2028. The Berlin Process, launched in 2014 to encourage rapprochement between the six Western Balkan states and the EU, has been supplemented this year by a joint German–French initiative proposing early-stage integration steps — such as privileged access to the single market or observer roles in EU institutions — to reward concrete reform milestones.

Photo: press material from the event