Geopolitics took center stage at Euro’s enlargement summit in Brussels on Tuesday with leaders from candidate countries framing their ambition to join the European Union.

[Marta Kos, EU Commissioner for enlargement]: I see enlargement as much more than just the enlargement. It is really the possibility for making our European Union stronger. As you have said, it is the possibility that we, if we do it right, do finally unification of Europe.

[Vlodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukranian President]: Ukraine has chosen to be the EU member through the similar feeling of life, freedom, democracy, humanity, respect to the human rights, just respect to a human, to his or her choice.

[Filib Ivanovic, Montenegro Deputy Prime Minisiter]: So with Montenegro European Union is going to prove its very name is going to prove its concept. It’s going to prove its values and it’s going to prove its geopolitical status.

[Maia Sandu, Moldovan President]: Moldova wants to continue to be a democratic country, wants to be part of the free uh world and of course because of the security threats that we have been experiencing because of the hybrid war that we have been experiencing especially since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

[Hristijan Mickoski, North Macedonia Prime Minister]: We received first positive report for starting negotiations in 2009 together with Croatia and unfortunately we are in the same place where we were 25 years ago.

[Aleksandar Vicic, Serbian President]: We’ll take it in a very serious and responsible way. all the remarks, all the demands from EU partners and uh considering it will change our attitudes and our stances on different issues and will improve our behavior in the future and we hope that European Union will notice it.

[Edi Rama, Albanian Prima Minister]: We have opened five of six clusters uh within only 11 months which is an absolute record in terms of speed. Uh it’s something that until only few years ago I would not been able to imagine but this is why life is so beautiful.

Despite mounting frustrations on both sides with the enlargement process, the leader’s main message was clear. Expanding the union is no longer a matter of choice, but of necessity.

05/11/2025