European Council President António Costa opened the EU-Western Balkans Summit in Tivat, Montenegro, on 5 June 2026, praising Montenegro's progress in the accession process and underscoring the EU's commitment to the region. The summit, held just six months after the previous gathering in Brussels, aims to take stock of reforms and integration steps.
Costa noted that he had just completed his second annual visit to all Western Balkan partners, visiting each country in the week before the summit to demonstrate the EU's continued engagement. He thanked Montenegrin President Jakov Milatović and Prime Minister Milojko Spajić for hosting the event in Tivat.
'Your success is important because it shows that enlargement is becoming real and we will continue to support you.' The summit brings together EU leaders and their counterparts from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia.
The meeting is expected to discuss further integration steps, rule-of-law reforms, and economic cooperation. No prior coverage of this summit exists in recent records, making this the first major EU-Western Balkans gathering of 2026.
EU institutions and Western Balkan governments stand to benefit from accelerated accession talks, boosting regional stability and EU influence. EU businesses may gain new market opportunities as candidate countries align with EU standards. However, some EU member states may raise concerns about the pace of enlargement, particularly regarding rule-of-law benchmarks. Civil society in the region could see increased EU funding for reforms, but also pressure to implement sometimes unpopular changes.
The summit is likely to produce a joint declaration outlining next steps for each candidate country, with concrete deadlines for negotiation chapters. The European Commission will report on progress later in 2026.